When Fate Hits You in the Head
by kamikaze28
Summary: senshi.shitennou It has been months since Galaxia's defeat and the five senshi are back on their toes. Everything is awfully normal but it seems that fate has other plans for them. pls r&r.
1. A new day has come?

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailormoon, so don't sue me. (",)  
Chapter One: A new day has come?  
  
Usagi stifled a yawn as the monotonous voice of their teacher droned on. With a bored moan, she glanced at her wristwatch. It says two and a half hours before break time. She buried her face on her arms on her table and sighed deeply, ignoring the urge to close her eyes and sleep.  
  
A light tap on her shoulder startled her and she slowly whirled around to see who it was. Minako, who was sitting behind her, carefully lifted a piece of paper, showing it to her, with a wide grin plastered on her face. Usagi abruptly covered her mouth with her hands and tried her best not to laugh at the drawing of their teacher wearing nothing except for an overgrown leaf, and with a caption written on top of its head saying 'Would you be my date?'  
  
Suddenly, a small crumpled paper hit her head and she smiled. She knew where it came from. Casually turning her gaze at Makoto's direction, who was sitting almost at the back because of her considerable height, she saw the brunette making a face, motioning them to show the picture to her.  
  
"I'll be teaching you World History and I am sure that all of you will be having a good time," the male professor went on in a monotonous tone. A collective groan of boredom was heard from the students. The professor grinned and fixed his glasses. "We'll be having a grand time discussing about the...." His speech was cut off when he saw Makoto raising and waving her hand frantically. "Yes, Kino-san?"  
  
Makoto hastily stood up, a playful smile lurking at the corner of her lips. Minako snickered and tried to contain her laughter, wondering at the same time what absurd things her friend would say.  
  
"What is it?" their professor impatiently said.  
  
"Kurume-sensei, aren't we going to discuss a great deal about dead people in your subject?" she asked innocently.  
  
The professor tilted his head and nodded. "Yes. Is there a problem with that?"  
  
Makoto smiled mischievously. "May I suggest that... can we just leave the dead people alone? I mean, they are dead, for goodness sake, so what's the point of discussing their lives? It's not proper to be burdened with a dead person's memory, you know."  
  
Wild cheers erupted from the class and Makoto took a bow at the applauding audience. "Thank you, thank you," she said.  
  
"That's enough!" The booming voice of the old sensei echoed throughout the classroom and the students abruptly quieted. Makoto hastily sat down and smiled sheepishly.  
  
Then, Kurume-sensei glowered at the brunette.  
  
"Kino-san, with that attitude of yours, I'm afraid you're not going to pass in this subject. Pull another stunt like that and you're out of my class."  
  
"I don't think that's fair, sensei," she pointed out casually. "It's just a suggestion."  
  
"Young lady, my subject is not a big comedy show, do you understand? Now you -"  
  
To Makoto's relief, Kurume-sensei's litany of words was untimely interrupted by a knock on the door. He then fixed his glasses and went outside. After a few moments he was back in front of the class, with a boy on his side.  
  
Minako gasped audibly and she quickly nudged Usagi who was on the verge of sleeping.  
  
"Class," the professor said. "This is your new classmate, Akimatsu Zoisite. He just transferred from-"  
  
"NO WAY!" Usagi, who was already standing up in trembling knees with her finger pointing at the baffled green-eyed boy, suddenly shrieked. "You're dead!!!"  
  
Minako frantically stood up to stop Usagi, causing the two blondes to tumble down. Unfortunately, Usagi accidentally hit her chair thus it fell right directly at Minako's outstretched fingers.  
  
"Ouch, Usagi! Get if off me! Get off me!"  
  
The class started to laugh and their teacher became more annoyed than ever.  
  
"That's it!" Kurume-sensei screamed as the two struggled to get up. "Tsukino, Kino, Aino... detention!! Now!"  
  
"What?!" Minako exclaimed. "I didn't do anything!"  
  
"If you consider that 'artwork' of yours as doing nothing," he said. "Then, you're free."  
  
Minako's shoulder sagged as she picked up her bag and waited for the rest of her 'co-detentioners.' She glared exasperatedly at her laughing classmates and stuck out her tongue to them, making the whole class roar with laughter.  
  
* * *  
  
"You three really made an impression," Ami said amusedly without tearing her gaze off her book as they trudge their way out of the campus. "Wait till Rei-chan hear this. She'll get one of the biggest shock of her life. I mean, getting detention at the first day of school, that was really something."  
  
"They should be grateful," Makoto said with a grin, swinging her schoolbag onto her shoulder. "I just provided them with good entertainment for their miserable life."  
  
Minako giggled. "You should have been there, Ami-chan," she said with a loud snicker. "The look on Kurume-sensei's face was so hilarious you'll laugh till your tummy ache."  
  
Setting her book aside for a moment, Ami shook her head hopelessly and stared at her friends. "Do you know what will happen if you go on like this?"  
  
Minako and Makoto just shrug their shoulders.  
  
"Uhm... we'll get free ice cream?" Usagi then asked stupidly.  
  
"Ye- I mean... no!" Ami blurted out. Then, a charming blush slowly crept on her cheeks after realizing her mistake. She abruptly frowned to hide her embarrassment. "Usagi-chan!"  
  
The three just giggled at her reaction.  
  
Then, Usagi pulled out a piece of folded paper from her pocket and handed it to her. "Here, Ami-chan. Why don't you take a look at this?"  
  
Puzzled, Ami slowly unfolded the paper and gasped audibly when she saw what was written, or rather, drawn in it. Then, she stared bleakly at her friends.  
  
"Oh, Usagi-chan... tell me you didn't- "  
  
The odango blonde beamed. "Don't worry, I didn't do it. Mina-chan did."  
  
Ami sighed and stared once more at the caricature of their history professor. Her friends' antics are really making her crazy, she mused to herself. Good thing Rei-chan wasn't as crazy as the two blondes and the brunette in front of her.  
  
Makoto draped an arm on Ami's shoulder and slowly snatched the drawing on her blue-haired friend's hand. "I didn't know you could draw," she said to Minako with a wide grin as she stared at the caricature of their teacher. "This one's pretty good."  
  
Minako snatched the paper from Makoto, causing an indignant 'hey' from the tall brunette. "Of course. I put all of my heart and soul in making this one.  
  
"Hey, hey," Usagi suddenly chimed in, her face thoughtful. "Do you remember that new guy? I mean, our new classmate?"  
  
Minako's face became a little bit serious. "Yeah. I think it's Akuma, or it sounded something like that."  
  
"It's Akimatsu," Usagi corrected. "A-KI-MA-TSU. Not Akuma, the devil."  
  
The longhaired blonde grinned sheepishly. "Heh heh."  
  
"What about him?" Ami inquired.  
  
"Well," Makoto drawled out, removing her arm from Ami's shoulders and crossing them on her chest. "There's actually nothing interesting about him except for the fact that his name is Zoisite and... "  
  
"He actually looked like Zoisite, one of Dark Kingdom's shitennou," Minako finished. "With long blond curly hair, very green eyes and all."  
  
Suddenly, a gust of strong wind caught the paper on Minako's hand and it flew meters away from them.  
  
"Hey, that's my masterpiece!" Minako shrieked and ran after the flying paper.  
  
The remaining senshi looked at each other, and then decided to run after the zany blonde.  
  
After a few minutes, Ami suddenly stopped, and the book on her hand fell to the ground. Minako stopped dead on her tracks, too.  
  
"Ami-chan?" Usagi waved a hand on her face.  
  
"Is he... is he the... " Ami couldn't finish his question, unable - for the first time in her life- to find the right words that would express exactly her thoughts.  
  
Makoto and Usagi curiously followed the direction where Ami was staring at and their jaw almost fell at the sight.  
  
A few feet from them, the object of their gossip earlier stood, laughing at the much taller boy with short wavy hair in front of him who had his face covered with a piece of paper that belonged to a certain blonde named Minako.  
  
Frowning, the taller boy removed the paper on his face and stared bemusedly at it. His lips curled into a smile afterwards and he then showed it at the smaller boy beside him. Then, they both snickered.  
  
"Uh-oh," Makoto muttered with a nervous tone.  
  
Then the two boys turned their gazes at the four senshi.  
  
The four girls held their breaths as the two former shittenou slowly approached them.  
  
"I believe this is yours," the boy with blue eyes said with a friendly smile, handing the paper to Minako.  
  
Ami, Makoto and Usagi caught up with them and stood behind the longhaired blonde.  
  
"Hello," the boy named Zoisite said. "You're my classmates from Class 1 right?"  
  
"Yeah," Minako replied with a nervous smile, retrieving the paper. "We're the ones who got kicked out of the class."  
  
Zoisite chuckled. "That was quite amusing. By the way, I'm Zoisite. This is my brother Jadeite," he said, referring to his companion. "He's in third year."  
  
"Konnichiwa, minna-san," Jadeite greeted. "Nice to meet you." Then he glanced briefly at the paper in Minako's hand. "You've got some talent there," he said, winking at her.  
  
"Nice to meet you too," Usagi, whose anxiety miraculously disappeared, said. "I'm Tsukino Usagi." She stretched out her hand.  
  
The two smiled and shook it. Then, they turned at the brunette beside her, probably waiting for Makoto to introduce herself.  
  
They stood stupidly like that for few heartbeats.  
  
Usagi hastily elbowed her upon noticing that her Mako-chan doesn't have any plans of telling her name.  
  
"Ouch!" Makoto glared at the odango blonde.  
  
"Just tell them your frigging name!" Usagi said faintly through her clenched teeth, and abruptly smiled at the two boys after seeing their amused gazes.  
  
Rubbing her side, Makoto faked a smile and extended her hand. "Kino Makoto, here."  
  
The boys took and shook it.  
  
"I'm Aino Minako," Minako, who is now smiling charmingly at the two, suddenly said. "And this girl here is Mizuno Ami-chan"  
  
Jadeite regarded the petite girl for a moment. "So, you're the infamous Mizuno-san" he said to Ami. She furrowed her brows and eyed him shyly. "I heard so much about you from the teachers. They say you're the smartest here in Juuban High, with an IQ of 300."  
  
She blushed a bit and shyly ducked her head. "I didn't know they said those things about me." Then she picked up the forgotten book on the ground.  
  
Makoto cleared her throat, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. "You have such unique names. Where did you get them?"  
  
"Our parents named us after precious stones," Zoisite replied with a smile. "Though it still bugs me a bit."  
  
"I suppose you have brothers named Kunzite and Nephrite?" she asked plaintively.  
  
"Well yes," Jadeite answered with an amused grin. "How did you know that?"  
  
Makoto shrugged her shoulders. "Just made a wild guess." I thought so, she whispered to herself. "Say guys, we're going to Crown Fruit Parlor. It's just few blocks from here. Would you want to come with us?"  
  
She cringed quietly when Minako, this time, nudged her side with an elbow. Her sides are taking some pretty damage today, she thought. She hastily glanced at her and whispered 'Trust me.'  
  
"Really?" Zoisite exclaimed. "I mean, is it okay?"  
  
"Of course!" Usagi replied. "We're going to meet Rei-chan there. I'll introduce the two of you to her."  
  
"She'll going to have the greatest shock of her life, indeed," Minako said with a snicker as they started to walk.  
  
Ami sighed as she place her book on her bag. "It's going to be a long year," she muttered to herself.  
  
* * *  
  
"AKI RYU TAI SAN!"  
  
"Oww!" Jadeite slowly pulled the anti-evil charm on his forehead as Zoisite continued to laugh. Then he turned at Makoto who was staring with an appalled look at them. "Is this how your friend greets her new acquaintance?"  
  
"W-what? You didn't turn into dust?" Rei stuttered, slowly catching her breath.  
  
"Of course I didn't!" Jadeite clipped. "What do you think of me, an evil spirit or something?" Then he frowned. "Hey lady, that wasn't very polite."  
  
Rei abruptly closed her gaping mouth. Had this been an ordinary day, Jadeite would have been smiling with his false teeth on. "Wait a minute!" she exclaimed after regaining her composure. Turning to her friends, "What is the meaning of this? Can someone explain to me what's going on here?"  
  
The blue-eyed boy crossed his arms. "It seems that Hino-san doesn't know proper etiquette and good manners?" he said amusedly. "Haven't you met any cute guy like me before that's why you looked... stunned?"  
  
Rei rolled her eyes. "The nerve."  
  
"Please pardon my brother," Zoisite apologized, smiling awkwardly at her. "He's always like that."  
  
Makoto cleared her throat. "Er... why don't we just sit down and eat." Then she turned to Rei and whispered, "we'll just explain everything on our way home."  
  
She raised a brow and then cocked her head. "You better be!"  
  
Minako patted Rei's shoulder. "Take it easy, Rei-chan," she said, beaming brightly. "They might think that we have no manners."  
  
The raven-haired girl frowned. "To hell with whatever they think!" she retorted in a hushed voice, glaring daggers at her friends. "I can't believe that you've brought these scumbags here. Are you out of your minds?"  
  
"Well, it was Mako-chan's idea," Usagi said, pouting.  
  
Makoto arched her brow. "Let me remind you, princess, that you have also agreed to my idea."  
  
Rei frowned. "Haven't you forgotten that they had tried to killed us? Not once, but on countless times!" she hissed. "What if they suddenly blast some dark energy to us? We'll be exposed and the world will know who we really are!"  
  
"Technically, I think we'll be dead first." Minako interrupted as-a-matter- of-factly.  
  
The four sweat-dropped.  
  
"Guys, I think it's embarrassing if we'll go on talking like this in front of them," Ami whispered.  
  
"Who cares?" Rei said.  
  
Feeling a little bit out of place, Jadeite cleared his throat loudly to catch the senshis' attention and ... immediately found himself under the scrutiny of one pissed off girl with violet eyes.  
  
But, to his better judgment, this girl is indeed pretty.  
  
Especially, with that lovely scowl on her face.  
  
Jadeite smiled his best. "I would like to remind you that... we're still here, in case you have forgotten."  
  
Turning abruptly to his direction, Rei's scowled deepened. "You know, you're so annoying."  
  
Surprised and amused by her unguarded remark, Jadeite burst out laughing. "Why, thank you," he said after his laughter subsided. "And I would like to say the same to you, too."  
  
Zoisite shook his head hopelessly. Why does his brother have to say something smart?  
  
Usagi and the girls, on the other hand, were biting back their laughter. Nobody, I mean, nobody have tried to say something like that to Rei-chan, especially a guy for that matter. Nobody can offend her like that and get away with it easily.  
  
This is going to be very interesting, the odango blonde mused to herself.  
  
"Listen here, you pompous jackass," Rei snapped, her eye narrowing dangerously. "Why don't we go outside and let's see how really annoying I can be?!"  
  
At this, Jadeite chuckled. "I'm sorry but I must decline your invitation, Hino-san," he said nonchalantly. "I don't fight with girls."  
  
(Author's Notes: Please read and review. Onegaiiiiiii!! No flames pls. This is the first time that I had the guts to publish my work on the net, so please be gentle. Tell me if I should continue with this... thing. Sorry if this is a little bit crude. Hehe. Thanks. 


	2. Ohayou, Minakochan!

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.  
  
A.N.: Thanks a bunch for the reviews. Sniff, sniff. They really got me motivated. Arigato gozaimasu, minna-san!  
  
* * *  
  
Chapter Two: Ohayou, Minako-chan!  
  
"I am at peace. I will be calm. The world is a beautiful place filled with beautiful things..."  
  
Closing her eyes, Rei breathed in and out to soothe her raging temper and... failed. No matter how hard she tried, the image of Jadeite and that annoying smirk on his face kept on popping in her head.  
  
"That's it!!" she screamed. "I'm going back there and make sure he *stays* dead forever!" She spun on her heels and proceeded to climb down the temple steps, but abruptly stopped when Makoto pulled her mane of hair. "Yeouch!" Frowning, she turned at the tall brunette. "Hey, what was that for?!"  
  
Makoto just grinned. "Don't be stupid Rei-chan. Even if you go back, you won't find him there."  
  
"Mako-chan's right," Minako agreed, nodding. "You'll only show how much you like him."  
  
"Like him?! My foot!" the miko blurted out. "Are you crazy?"  
  
"Jeez, no need to scream," the blonde said with a snicker, fiddling her ear. "That voice of yours had probably reached the planet Pluto."  
  
Rei moodily rake her hand through her hair and snorted. "That jerk should be thankful. If he hadn't answered his freaking mobile phone and he hadn't left so freaking early, I could have kicked his freaking butt."  
  
"You know Rei-chan," Usagi said with a teasing tone. "If that temper of yours could turn everything into gold, we could have been rich! We could buy everything!" Then she imagined herself swimming in a pond of ice cream and chocolate fudge. "Hmmmm.... ice creeaamm..."  
  
Rei hit her in the head. "Baka."  
  
"Youma." The odango blonde then stuck out her tongue as she rubbed her bruised head.  
  
Ami, on the other hand, wasn't paying attention to Rei's ranting and raving. As usual, her mind was busy analyzing and processing what might be the possible cause of the shittenou's resurrection. 'None of them made sense,' she mused. 'Are they really the shittenou, or are they just clones? And *if* they are just clones, who in his right mind would dare clone them, anyway? And *if* they are the real ones, why didn't they attack us? And why did they act as if they never knew us? Are they plotting something diabolically evil? Is there a new threat? Are there new enemies?  
  
Or is this some kind of a sick joke?'  
  
She shook her head frustratingly. It is indeed much easier to ask questions than to search for answers.  
  
Turning her gaze at her friends, Ami sighed hopelessly and sweat-dropped.  
  
Rei and Usagi were having their tongue-lashing bout, while Minako and Makoto were sharing some gossips about Tokyo's newest teen idol.  
  
"Oh well," she groaned. "Looks like it didn't bother them a bit."  
  
"Those two are really good-looking," Minako suddenly said with a dreamy sigh, catching the other senshis' attention.  
  
Makoto raised a brow. "Are you referring to Zoisite and Jadeite?"  
  
The longhaired blonde nodded eagerly "Yes, I am," she replied. "Jadeite- senpai is really cute but I don't go for boys with the same color of my hair and eyes! People would probably think of us as twins when we're together."  
  
Rei snorted. "You really have a bad taste."  
  
"Look who's talking!" Usagi teased and giggled hysterically. "Have you forgotten that you have this 'thing' for Yuuichiro-kun? Now talk about good taste!"  
  
"Oh yeah?" Rei retorted. "If it wasn't for fate, Mamoru-san wouldn't have asked you to be his girlfriend in the first place!"  
  
Unmoved, Usagi crossed her arms on her chest. "Hah! If it wasn't for your short skirt, boys wouldn't like you anyway!" she taunted. "Contrary to your element, you're as cold as a block of ice!"  
  
"Take that back, you dumb blonde!" Rei snarled.  
  
Usagi stuck out her tongue and pulled her lower eyelid down. "Make me, you fire-breathing priestess!"  
  
"Why, you overgrown dumpling head..."  
  
With that, Rei started chasing Usagi around the stairs and to the temple grounds. Ami sighed and shook her head helplessly.  
  
"I thought Usagi-chan is going to borrow Rei's new manga?" she said.  
  
Minako giggled. "At that rate, I don't think Rei-chan would let her."  
  
"Shimatta, I forgot!!!" Makoto suddenly exclaimed. Ami and Minako abruptly gaped at her. "The Karate Club has a meeting after class and I'm suppose to attend it!"  
  
"Mako-chan suffered from amnesia again, hehee," the blonde said with a snicker. "I wonder what would be your memory like when you're sixty?"  
  
"I wonder what would you look like if you're bald?" the brunette countered in a steely voice, her green eyes narrowing.  
  
Minako hastily took refuge behind Ami's back. "I'm just kidding Mako- chan!" she said. "You're beginning to react like Rei-chan."  
  
Makoto glanced at her wristwatch. "I guess I can still make it." Then she looked at the two. "Please tell Usagi and Rei that I'm going. I think those two are still busy killing each other."  
  
"Sure," Ami replied. "See you tomorrow."  
  
"See ya!" Makoto wave her hand and turned to leave.  
  
.  
  
..  
  
...  
  
* * *  
  
"Aaaargh, damn it!"  
  
Minako immediately jumped out of bed, almost knocking poor Artemis over. She glanced at the alarm clock at the night table. It says ten minutes before eight o' clock.  
  
"I'm late!!!" she screamed, her voice echoing throughout her room. All of a sudden, she carelessly picked the white cat up. "You stupid cat, why didn't you wake me up? I'm having this three-week long marathon to school because of you!"  
  
"Great," Artemis muttered sleepy with sarcasm. "Now it's my fault that you sleep like a hibernating bear. For your information, smart girl, my claws are worn out from scratching your face and yet you're still asleep. Instead of whining and complaining, why don't you put me down and go to the bathroom and take a bath?"  
  
The blonde immediately dropped him and scampered to her feet, digging up her school things and uniform from the cabinet all the while.  
  
"Old habits are really hard to die," Artemis mumbled and then went back to sleep.  
  
After an amazingly few minutes, with a toasted bread still stuck in between her teeth, Minako began her high speed dash across the streets.  
  
"Great Kami, please don't let Sensei catch me again," she muttered to herself as she ran on the pavement. "I hope Usagi's late too."  
  
Stopping abruptly at the bus stop, she anxiously awaited the bus to arrive when an unfamiliar car pulled over before her. Minako squinted when suddenly the car window on the passenger side went down.  
  
"Setsuna-san!" she exclaimed when she recognized the older senshi.  
  
"Ohayou, Minako-chan," Setsuna greeted. "We're going to pass by at Juuban High. Come, we'll drop you by."  
  
"Oh, thank you very much!" She bowed and hastily boarded the car.  
  
Once inside, Minako made herself comfortable and let her eyes wander. 'This car is quite expensive,' she mused to herself with a soft whistle. Then, she glanced at the driver. 'I wonder who he is? He must be Setsuna- san's boyfriend.'  
  
The last thought was added with a giggle.  
  
"Minako-chan," the older senshi called, bringing her back from her reverie. "I would like you to meet Kunzite-san. We're studying at the same university."  
  
Kunzite glanced and smiled at her through the rear view mirror. Minako, with her eyes as wide as saucers, gasped and abruptly placed a hand on her mouth to prevent a scream from escaping.  
  
"Ohayou," he said in a friendly tone, without tearing his gaze off the streets. "I believe you're one of Zoisite-kun's classmates? He told me stories about you. Aino Minako, ne?"  
  
"H-hai," she replied, calming herself. "So, you're Akimatsu-kun's older brother, the one he was talking about the other day."  
  
"The eldest, actually," he corrected.  
  
Minako made a face and swallowed an imaginary lump on her throat.  
  
Setsuna smiled and turned to her. "You're sensei will probably be mad if he caught you."  
  
"Yeah," she said with a sigh, momentarily forgetting her uneasiness. "That neko no baka didn't wake me up. I just hope that I reach school before sensei do."  
  
Then she heard Kunzite chuckled. "Your cat knows how to wake you up? That's amazing."  
  
"Er, well," she stammered. "I trained him."  
  
"You probably must be patient," he said. "Cat's are difficult to teach tricks."  
  
Minako scratched her head and grinned sheepishly. "Artemis is, well, different."  
  
After few minutes, Kunzite pulled the car over in front of Juuban High. Minako hastily jumped out at the car and bowed at the two.  
  
"Domo arigatou gozaimasu," she said, still bowing.  
  
"That's nothing," Kunzite said with a smile. "You should go now or you will be very, very late." Then he winked at her.  
  
Minako felt the temperature rise on her cheeks. Her heart made an unexpected somersault when her blue eyes met his gray ones. 'What a beautiful way to start your day!' her inner voice cried with glee. 'It is indeed a good morning!'  
  
"Uhm," she stammered again. "Arigatou, Akimatsu-san." Then she turned at Setsuna. "Thank you very much for introducing me to... er, Kunzite-san. Please send my regards to Hotaru-chan and the others."  
  
"Sure." Setsuna replied and she waved at the younger girl. "Take care."  
  
"Ja ne," she said and hurried inside, her rich blonde hair bouncing on her back as she runs.  
  
"Kawaii," Kunzite murmured to himself, watching the blonde girl's retreating form. "Aino Minako, her name suits her perfectly."  
  
"You're saying something?" Setsuna asked softly, glancing at the man beside her.  
  
"Uhm, no," he replied absentmindedly. Then he gave his head a light shake. "Why do I have this feeling that I've met her before?"  
  
"Maybe you have."  
  
"I-I beg your pardon?"  
  
"Oh, nothing," Setsuna answered, and smiled at him. She turned her gaze outside and sighed.  
  
Wrinkling his brows, Kunzite started the engine and sped off.  
  
* * *  
  
Usagi choked out the morsel of rice from her mouth, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. She abruptly grabbed her canned juice and drank its contents. Makoto let out a sigh and brushed the stray morsels out of her sleeves.  
  
"Are you really sure it is him?" Ami asked, her spoon hanging in mid-air and already halfway to her mouth.  
  
Minako nodded exaggeratedly and raised her right hand as if making an oath. "I swear by the graves of my ancestors! It_is_him!"  
  
"And you said Setsuna-san's with him, eh?" Makoto said, raising a brow. "That is weird."  
  
"I nearly fainted when she introduced Kunzite to me," the blonde said in an agitated tone.  
  
"I think the world is coming to an end," Usagi suddenly said in a rather teary voice. "I just hope Mamo-chan's with me when it happens."  
  
"Usagi-chan," the brunette interrupted with a big sweatdrop in her head. "The world is not coming to an end. The senshis are still here, remember?"  
  
Ami nodded to emphasize Makoto's point  
  
Suddenly, Minako's expression became different. From a worried to a dreamy one. "But... he's so cute! How can a villain be so cute?" she said with a dreamy sigh, her eyes becoming heart-shaped.  
  
"Eh?!" the three exclaimed in unison.  
  
Makoto groaned. "Ugh. Don't tell me you have a crush on him?"  
  
The blonde pouted. "I don't know. I just saw him."  
  
"Mina-chan," Ami sternly said, pointing a finger to her. "You can't have a crush on him until we figure this out."  
  
Usagi suddenly snickered. "That's way to serious, Ami-chan."  
  
"Hey," Makoto butted in. "Aren't Mamoru-san and Setsuna-san go to the same university?"  
  
"Well yeah," Usagi replied with a nod. "Why?"  
  
The school genius snapped her fingers. "Then it means that Kunzite is also Mamoru-san's schoolmate!"  
  
"Yeah!" Minako exclaimed. "Then we could ask him to spy for me... I mean, for us!"  
  
"Minako!" admonished the three.  
  
"Just kidding!"  
  
"But don't you think it's kinda odd?" Makoto then said, scratching her chin. "If they all go to the same university, then how come Mamoru-san didn't tell Usagi anything about him? It is impossible that he haven't met Kunzite by chance when Setsuna-san knew him well enough to ride in his car."  
  
"I dunno," Minako said, shrugging her shoulders. "Beats me."  
  
The girls went silent for a while, and then suddenly, Usagi made a disgruntled sound.  
  
"Why don't we just leave those things as they are?" she said with a frown. "We're just giving ourselves some headache from making a lot of fuss about it." The she opened her mouth widely and stuffed some dumplings in it, and chewed.  
  
Minako beamed. "Usagi's right!" she exclaimed with glee. "What's the point of pondering all of this things? It'll only make us confused." Then, she grinned devilishly at Ami and Makoto. "So for the meantime, just let me fill my mind with thoughts of him, okay?"  
  
Ami shook her head and stared at the two blondes. "Aren't you bothered by this?" she asked. "The old enemies are back and they may be planning something against us."  
  
"You're being paranoid, Ami-chan," Usagi commented casually. "Why, they haven't done anything wrong. The city's still normal and Luna is as calm as an old lady who's taking a dip in a Jacuzzi."  
  
"Aaaand," Minako seconded. "There are no reports of abnormalities in the city and even the outers are not giving us a visit or a warning. Normally, if there's a threat, the outers would pop out from nowhere and they would speak about death and destruction in those chilly and scary voices of theirs. And most of all, Rei-chan haven't had any visions about them."  
  
"You're right," the brunette agreed with mild sarcasm. "They haven't done anything wrong... YET. They haven't destroyed the world... YET. The outers haven't given us a warning... YET. And Rei-chan haven't had any visions about them... YET." She sighed. "I can't believe you're not taking this seriously."  
  
"And you're telling us that you're serious about this?" the longhaired blonde asked. It was more of a statement than a question. "Wasn't it you who asked them to come with us three weeks ago?"  
  
"The only reason I did that is because I wanted to know if they're going to melt once they were hit by Rei-chan's flying paper thingys."  
  
"And they didn't."  
  
Leaning a little, Makoto suddenly stared at Minako's blue eyes, scrutinizing her face.  
  
The blonde glanced at Usagi and Ami, and then back at the brunette in front of her, feeling that she will shrink under Makoto's intent gaze. "What?"  
  
"You like one of them," Makoto said as-a-matter-of-factly.  
  
"Minako-chan's in love?!" Usagi shrieked. Then she gaze the other blonde a teasing look.  
  
Minako blushed. "What the heck are you talking about? I'm in love? With whom?"  
  
The brunette smirked. "Oooh, so that's the reason why you're defending them like that."  
  
"Puuleeeaase!" Minako picked up some grass from the ground and threw it at the laughing brunette.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
Frowning, Ami suddenly cleared her throat and glared at her friends. "Uhm, excuse me, but... aren't we discussing about our would-be enemies here?"  
  
"Oh, of course," Makoto nodded, grinning sheepishly.  
  
Usagi scratched her head and glanced at Minako.  
  
"Let's have a deal, Ami-chan," Minako suddenly suggested, flipping her hair enthusiastically. "Why don't you check up on them in your computer and if the results aren't bad, we'll stop with this whole bunch of paranoia. And if your speculations are correct, I'll be the one who'll send them all to the nether regions where they truly belonged. Okay?"  
  
Ami chewed her lip and thought for a moment. Well, the blonde's suggestion is not that bad. And besides, of all the words that Minako had spoken these past few minutes, it is the only one that has a sense in it.  
  
The blue-haired girl turned her gaze at Makoto for any objections. The brunette just shrugged her shoulders in response.  
  
"Alright," Ami replied. "We'll have this *your* way."  
  
Beaming brightly, Usagi and Minako cheered and hugged each other. It would mean fewer jobs and less worry for them.  
  
Then, after another round of eating and gossiping, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break. The girls got up and fixed their lunch boxes, and then hastily went back to their respective classrooms.  
  
.  
  
..  
  
...  
  
* * *  
  
Ami smiled cheerfully to herself as she carefully fixed her glasses. A day like this is really one of her favorites.  
  
The May sun shone brightly and the sound of the birds singing was heard from a distance. Voices of students passing by echoed through the corridors as the results of Juuban High's Preliminary Exams stared back at the blue-haired genius.  
  
Students began to gather near the bulletin board, all of them eager to know the results of their deadly exam. Different noises filled the hallway; some out of agony, while some out of contentment.  
  
Ami moved her eyes and searched for her name. And as usual, she found it at the top, just as she had expected, with perfect scores in all subjects. Her smile grew wider and.....  
  
... the world suddenly stopped. And Ami literally stopped breathing.  
  
Because right beside her name, Akimatsu Zoisite's name was written, with perfect scores in all of their subjects, just like her...  
  
(A/N: Well, that's it for now. Hope you enjoyed it.) 


	3. A glimpse on Ami's past

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. yada yada...  
  
A/N: Gomen nasai! Sumimasen! I'm very, very sorry for not updating for so long. I've been busy with some other things that I can't find the time to write. Also, I've been experiencing writer's block for the past weeks, and I've got lots of ideas in my head but I can't put them into words! Graah, it is so frustrating!  
  
Anyway, If you're wondering why Setsuna-san is with Kunzite, or why is she even here... well... just wait for future chapters and you'll see why, hehehee (grins maniacally).  
  
And so, without further ado, here's the third chapter. It will focus mainly on Ami-chan. Enjoy!  
  
* * *  
  
Chapter Three: A Glimpse to Ami's Past  
  
She blinked.  
  
And blinked.  
  
And then blinked again.  
  
Ami scratched her head, unable to believe that *somebody* in her school could actually tie up with her. And to make matters worst, it isn't just anybody. It's that boy Zoisite who happened to be one of the greatest enemies of the senshis almost three years ago.  
  
It isn't that she didn't believe at his capabilities or at any students' capabilities for that matter. It would be plain arrogance. It's just that... it's been so long. It's been so long since she had a...  
  
"Oooh, Ami-chan got a new rival!"  
  
Usagi's shriek of glee reverberated through Ami's ears but the blue-haired senshi didn't even budge a little nor move a single muscle. Makoto sided up with her and laughingly straightened the genius's furrowed brows with her thumb and index finger. Ami blushed a little and smiled shyly.  
  
"I didn't know Zoisite have a brain inside that pretty little head of his," the brunette muttered incredulously.  
  
"Sugoi!" Usagi exclaimed unbelievably. "Zoisite-kun had just transferred here at Juuban High and yet he topped the exams with Ami-chan."  
  
Makoto smiled. "That boy had easily adapted himself with our weird environment." Then she turned at the blonde on her left. "That's what you call flexibility, Usagi-chan."  
  
The odango blonde furrowed her golden brows and gave her a dim-witted look. "Flexibility? You mean he can bend and stretch like rubber, or something like that?"  
  
"No," she replied, shaking her head. "What I mean is that he's... he's..." The brunette wrinkled her brows and searched for simple words that would exactly explain the term 'flexibility' to her friend but failed. The more she tries to explain it, the more they'll stray out of the topic. "Aw, just forget it," she just said instead.  
  
Usagi snickered at her tall friend and then her smile abruptly disappeared after noticing Ami, who was staring again at the exam results with a small frown on her forehead. She cast an inquiring glance at Makoto who, in return, just shrugged her shoulders.  
  
The blonde cleared her throat, immediately bringing her blue-haired friend back from her reverie. Ami muttered an apology and slowly turned to them.  
  
"You're not taking this seriously, are you?" Usagi suddenly blurted out.  
  
Ami slowly removed her glasses and put them on her pocket. "Of course I don't," she replied thoughtfully and smiled but there's an unmistakable sparkle in her eyes. "It's just an exam." Noticing Minako's absence, Ami glanced at the two. "Where's Mina-chan, by the way?"  
  
Makoto narrowed her eyes on Ami's sudden change of the topic. She swore she saw something familiar on those blue eyes of hers. A sense of competition? Naah! Casually dismissing the subject, she crossed her arms on her chest and gave Ami a half smile. "She said she'll have to take care of something and she'll just catch up with us."  
  
As if on cue, Minako came scurrying towards them, waving her right hand. "Minna!" she yelled, her red bow bobbing on her head and her long blonde hair bouncing on her back as she ran.  
  
The longhaired blonde halted before them, panting heavily. After regaining her breath, she giggled happily and showed them a poster of one of her teen idols. "Look, look! I've got this pullout poster from the magazine I bought yesterday and -- Omigosh!! Zoisite-kun topped the exams!" She dropped the poster and hastily went closer to the bulletin board. "And Ami- chan, too! What the hell is going on here?" Then she turned at the three girls behind her. "I smell an intellectual rivalry! And I smell romance, too!"  
  
Usagi and Makoto suddenly burst out laughing while Ami was blushing profusely, turning red from the tips of her toes to the roots of her hair.  
  
Makoto picked up the wrinkled poster from the ground and handed it to MInako. "You' really got this weird notion about love," she said chuckling. "How can you be sure that Ami-chan would fall for that girly- girl boy?"  
  
"Hah!" the longhaired blonde chided proudly. "I'm the senshi of love and I can sense anything!"  
  
"Even an incoming fart?" Usagi butted in.  
  
"Even an incoming fart!" Minako replied with a wide grin. "Mark my words, it wouldn't take long before Ami-chan and Zoisite-kun become an item." And she giggled maniacally. "Have you forgotten this thing about Ami-chan falling for guys who come close to her scores?"  
  
"Oh yeah, I remembered," the odango blonde agreed, snapping her fingers. "There's Urawa back when we were still in junior high, this Mercurius guy, and then, Taiki-kun!"  
  
Ami rolled her eyes, her embarrassment was slowly replaced by irritation. 'Oh brother,' she thought grimly. 'Why does it always have to be me?'  
  
Makoto snickered. "Ami-chan thinks that the brain is sexier than the body." Then she placed a hand on Minako's shoulder. "You're definitely right, Ai no megami-sama. How could I have ever doubted you." And she jokingly hid her face in shame.  
  
And the three giggled like demented idiots in unison.  
  
The blue-haired genius sighed irritably, a hand on her side and foot tapping in annoyance. "Don't talk about me as if I'm five thousand miles away," she grumbled moodily. "It isn't polite."  
  
The three gradually ceased from laughing and had a rather funny look on their faces when they looked at her.  
  
"What?" Ami asked impatiently, shifting her gaze to each of her idiotic friends.  
  
"Gomen ne, Ami-chan," Usagi said, looking a bit less apologetic.  
  
"Yeah, we're really sorry," Minako added half-heartedly. "It won't happen again, I promise." And then she giggled silently, slowly crossing her fingers on her back.  
  
Makoto, who was still smiling stupidly, saw Ami stared at her. She immediately pursed her lips and looked the other way. "I didn't know you have adopted Rei-chan's temper." And then she grinned sheepishly.  
  
"Well it's about time," Ami said seriously. "It's not fun being only the rational and sensible person among your crazy friends, anyway." She walked towards the bulletin board and stopped about two feet from it. "Instead of making fun of your poor little Ami-chan, why don't you study harder so that *THIS*," Ami suddenly pointed at the three names written just below the passing mark, "won't happen again?"  
  
The three just stared back at her.  
  
Ami sighed and shook her head hopelessly. "Listen guys," she said. "You must study hard or else you won't make it next year."  
  
"We did study hard," Usagi butted in. "But the television is always invigorating than those textbooks."  
  
Minako draped an arm on the genius's shoulders. "Don't worry about us, Ami- chan. We could make it. No matter how we failed, fate has always been good to us." Then she laughed hysterically.  
  
"And besides," Makoto said. "It's just the beginning of the school year. We all have the time in the world to study."  
  
Then the four started walking towards their classrooms.  
  
"I'm really worried about your future," Ami muttered silently and let herself be dragged by her friends.  
  
"Ne, Ami-chan,' Usagi then called out after walking for minutes in silence.  
  
"Hai?"  
  
"What do you think of Zoisite-kun?" the odango blonde asked rather seriously.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"He's cute, isn't he?" And then she gave her a knowing look.  
  
Ami frowned. "If you're teasing me again, I'll -"  
  
But Usagi wasn't able to hear the rest of Ami's words because the rabbit of the moon stormed off after seeing the latest issue of her favorite manga in one her classmates' hands.  
  
.  
  
..  
  
...  
  
* * *  
  
Ami grudgingly closed the door of her shoe locker and sighed. Ever since that incident with the exam results the other week, plus the 'constant' (which was an understatement, of course) teasing of her friends, Ami became extremely aware and sensitive of Zoisite's existence. He was suddenly everywhere! He's at the corridor, waving nonchalantly at the girls who greeted him flirtatiously; he's under the shade of a tree, quietly reading a paperback or listening to music through his discman; and there were also times when he's on the rooftop, casually leaning on the railing with his long hair being ruffled by the wind and he doesn't even know how kawaii he looked!  
  
She lightly banged her head on the locker door. 'Great,' she muttered, rather annoyed by the flow of her thoughts. 'Now, where did that come from?' She chewed her lip and closed her eyes, trying to focus her thoughts in a single direction.  
  
And most of all, she continued after settling down her thoughts, he even invaded the library, for crying out loud! The library... a place where nobody else dared to enter and hang out except for other people like her. It was her sanctuary, her refuge, her place of solace. And now, he suddenly came out from nowhere and took it away from her!  
  
Good thing Zoisite doesn't have any plans of joining the Computer Club, or so she thought. If that happens, Ami would really go berserk.  
  
And what's with him tying up with her during the exams? It's like he sent an unsaid challenge to her, saying that Ami's days on the top are numbered, that she's no better than him. It's like he threw a steel gauntlet at her feet, or he slapped her with a glove on her face.  
  
Like the competitive person that Ami Mizuno was, it enthused her unknowing desire to be the best, to beat him and show him that she isn't the type of person who backs down during a challenge. He threw a gauntlet at her feet, and she willingly picked it up. He slapped her face with a glove, and she willingly slapped him back.  
  
She smiled. This is going to be a war of intellectual proportions!  
  
"Ohayou, Mizuno-san."  
  
Ami literally 'eeked' and jump back in fright after unexpectedly coming face to face with the object of her rambling thoughts a while ago. She felt the heat rose on her cheeks for being caught in a rather stupid position. Who wouldn't be, anyway, when your supposed rival saw you with your forehead resting on the door of your shoe locker as if you're whispering or chanting something to it?  
  
"I know it is none of my business but," at this Zoisite flashed her a hesitant but a cheerful smile, "why are you banging your head on the -"  
  
"Oh no, I am not *banging* my head anywhere," she suddenly said, shaking her head and smiling sheepishly. "Well, I got to go. See ya!"  
  
Ami hastily bowed and stormed off, leaving Zoisite grinning amusedly to himself.  
  
* * *  
  
"Ami-chan? Are you there?"  
  
Usagi slowly peeked through the door and let her eyes wander throughout the room. The Computer Club's HQ was strangely empty. Maybe all the members went home since it's almost five in the afternoon, she thought. She quietly entered and looked for a sign of her blue-haired friend. "Ami- chan?"  
  
The odango blonde nervously rubbed her arm after feeling a sudden gust of wind at her direction. "Ami-chan...?" she called a bit louder, thinking of the ghost stories and rumors about the club's room. 'What if it is true? What if I suddenly saw a ghost?' She shivered at the thought and scanned the place one more time... until she heard a slow tapping of a computer key and felt that cool gust of wind again.  
  
'Masaka! It's the ghost of the computer programmer!'  
  
Unable to contain her fear any longer, Usagi wailed and screamed, "Ami- chaaaan!!! Where the heck are you?! It's so scary out here, please come out now!!!"  
  
Another door in that room suddenly opened and a panic-stricken Ami Mizuno came out of it. "What was that-"  
  
A figure of a blonde slumped on the floor and crying unceremoniously caught her vision. Ami let out a sigh of relief and slowly walk towards the crying blonde, unable to decide whether to laugh at her or pity her.  
  
The blue-haired genius crouched and gently patted Usagi on the head. "Usagi-chan? Are you alright?"  
  
Hearing her friend's voice, Usagi hastily looked up and hugged her. "Oh, Ami-chan, where the hell have you been? I've been calling you for the hundredth time and this place is so scary, " she wailed. "How can you stand a place like this? The computer programmer's ghost, he was here!!! He was really here!"  
  
She giggled softly and helped Usagi stood up. Ami lent her hanky and the blonde quickly wiped her tears away, still sniffing.  
  
"I was using the main computer in the adjoining room," Ami replied. "The door was tightly shut plus I was listening at the MP3s so maybe that's why I couldn't hear you."  
  
Usagi bit the white hanky on her hand and in a tearful voice, "The rumors are true. There's really a ghost in here."  
  
Ami bit back her smile and shook her head. "Those rumors are nothing but rumors," she said. "The Computer Club just made it up to prevent non- members from entering the computer room after class hours. Only few students are stupid enough to believe it, though."  
  
The odango blonde pouted. "Hey, I resent that."  
  
"I'm not referring to you, Usagi-chan," she said with a mild chuckle.  
  
"But what about the sound I heard and that cold wind?"  
  
"It was I. I was using a computer, remember?" She then paused. "As for the cold wind..." She pointed at the air conditioning unit at the far corner of the room.  
  
"Oh," was the only word the Usagi could say. Then she grinned sheepishly.  
  
"Now," Ami said. "May I ask why are you looking for me?"  
  
"Um yeah," Usagi mumbled, now back in her cheery self. "There was someone who wanted to join your club but he's shy because he's already late. Can he still join?"  
  
She smiled. "Of course. The Computer Club accepts members any day." And then she inclined her head. "Where is he?"  
  
Usagi looked behind her. "He was with me just before I entered this room," she replied absentmindedly. Then she smiled cheerfully. "Just wait here, Ami-chan. I'll go get him."  
  
Sighing, she smiled and watched the odango blonde leave the room. Then, she glanced at her wristwatch. It says five minutes after five o' clock. She still have time to attend her cram school at 6:30.  
  
She heard the sound of approaching footsteps and then the sound of the sliding door. Ami shifted her glance at the door... and her heart skipped a beat and she almost fainted at the sight.  
  
"I thought you went home already," Usagi said, dragging Zoisite by the hand.  
  
"Gomen, Tsukino-chan," he replied. "My phone rang so I have to at least get a few meters away from the computer or else I might destroy them."  
  
Usagi then turned her head at her blue-haired friend. "Hora, Ami-chan," she said with a wide grin. "I've brought you the Computer Club's newest member, Akimatsu Zoisite-kun."  
  
Ami reminded herself to breathe and calm down. Forcing herself to smile, she slowly walked towards them. "Nice of you to join our club, Akimatsu- kun," she said.  
  
"See, I told you," Usagi whispered to the boy beside her. "Ami-chan, I mean, the Computer Club would still accept you."  
  
Zoisite nodded and then smiled at the blue-haired girl's direction. Which, of course, made Ami blush (because he found her staring intently at him) and caught her completely off guard.  
  
'No wonder many girls were literally drooling over him,' she thought balefully.  
  
"So, what do I have to do?" she heard him ask. "Do I have to sign something or submit anything?"  
  
"Oh, I mean, yes," Ami replied. "You'll just have to sign our membership form. I'll just get it inside."  
  
Zoisite nodded once again and Ami rushed inside the adjoining room to get his membership form.  
  
"Baka, baka, baka!" Once inside, Ami pounded her temple with her fist. "Why do you have to act like an idiotic moron whenever he's in front of you?!"  
  
She rummaged through the tons of files of the club and angrily pulled out a blank form for Zoisite. "He's just Zoisite, for Pete's sake!"  
  
That's the point, she thought. He *is* Zoisite.  
  
Ami frowned.  
  
After staring at the blank form for a few minutes, Ami finally stepped outside to join them.  
  
"Here's the -" Ami was cut off by the sight of Usagi laughing merrily at Zoisite's jokes. She sighed and smiled to herself. Usagi's friendliness is really unique and one of a kind. The blonde wouldn't let a person's past bother her.  
  
Zoisite then lifted his gaze, meeting Ami's bright blue eyes. He smiled to her and took the membership form that she was handing to him. "Arigatou, Mizuno-san," he said and quickly scribbled down all the necessary information needed in the form.  
  
"You don't have to call me 'Mizuno-san' all the time," Ami said. "It's too formal. You may call me Ami."  
  
"Hai," he replied. "Arigatou, Ami-san."  
  
Usagi smiled secretly after watching the two. 'I'm sure Minako-chan and Mako-chan would be happy to hear about this,' she said mentally.  
  
"Here, I'm finished." Zoisite handed back the accomplished membership form to her.  
  
Ami smiled timidly at him and nodded. "Welcome to the club, then," she said, extending her hand.  
  
He took her hand and gently shook it.  
  
But as soon as their fingers touched, Ami felt a strong sense of nausea, as if something flashed before her very eyes. She felt as if her body and soul were being transported to another dimension.  
  
And when she opened her eyes, she found herself floating in a big white place that resembled an auditorium. There are lots of people dressed in weird clothing, apparently not from the present time, and they were seated and listening casually to someone speaking.  
  
She turned her gaze at the far end of the room and saw a petite girl standing on a podium, and she seems to be delivering a speech of some sort. Ami squinted and suddenly gasped when she realized that the girl on the podium looked remarkably like her! In fact, it is her! Though she looked a year older or so than her present age.  
  
The other Ami was dressed in a bluish white dress and looked like someone of high ranks. A princess, probably. And then, she saw the other Ami suddenly pause and look at the other way. She followed the direction where the princess was staring at and then Ami froze.  
  
A tall, lean and handsome green-eyed man in a gray military uniform was leaning back casually in a marble pillar. He smiled and nodded gallantly as soon as the princess' and his gaze met.  
  
Confused, Ami shifted back her attention to the princess and saw her smiled mysteriously before continuing her speech.  
  
"Ne, Ami-chan?! What happened to you?" Usagi's worried voice suddenly echoed from somewhere.  
  
Ami blinked her eyes twice and found herself back at the computer room. She gazed dazedly at the pair of green eyes before her and remembered the same eyes in her vision. She immediately pulled her hand and stepped back.  
  
"Are you alright?" Zoisite asked.  
  
"I'm... fine," she said abstractly. "I'm just having a slight migraine."  
  
He let out a sigh of relief. "You should go home then, and take a rest," he said, and then paused to study her face.  
  
"I can't go home yet," she replied. "I've got to attend cram school."  
  
"Oh, in that case," he said with a little hesitation, "would you want me to accompany you on your way there?"  
  
Ami gave him a reassuring smile. "Thanks for your offer but that wouldn't be necessary," she replied. "I'm okay now."  
  
Zoisite nodded. "Alright." Then his phone on his pocket rang again. Smiling apologetically, he glanced at her. "Sorry, I've got to go. Thank you very much for your time." Then she turned at Usagi. "Arigatou, Usagi- chan." And with a wave of his hand, he turned to his heels and left.  
  
"Now, would you mind telling me what was that all about?"  
  
Ami hastily whirled around after hearing Usagi's teasing tone.  
  
The blonde grinned like an errant child. "It looks like you were enjoying shaking his hand."  
  
She furrowed her brows. "Excuse me?"  
  
"Oh nothing," the blonde replied smilingly. "We must leave now, too, or you will be late for your cram school."  
  
Ami glanced at her watch. It's already five thirty. "Of course. I'll just fix my things inside."  
  
Usagi nodded casually but there's a mischievous smile lurking at the corner of her lips.  
  
A/N extras: Many thanks to those who gave their reviews and to those who put my stories on their favorite's list. Thank you very much. I'm greatly honored.  
  
Please review and let me know what you think. ^_^  
  
Uhm, I have a question though, can anyone tell me how to make words appear in italics? I tried many times but it doesn't seem to work. Please e-mail me at broohuh28@yahoo.com. Thanks. 


	4. The Man in Makochan's Dreams

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is property of Naoko Takeuchi therefore it is not mine, got it? 

A/N: I've finally figured out how to make the texts into italics, thank goodness. Hahahahahaha! 

About the story, sorry if it is a bit boring and slow. I'm still in the stage of "building up my characters." Onced they are finished, there will be more actions and less boring stuffs. 

Anyway, thanks for the reviews. Now on with the story! 

**_Chapter 4: The Man in Mako-chan's Dreams_**

Stifling her yawn, Makoto surveyed the park and sighed grudgingly. Plopping herself on the nearest bench to her, she took a glance at her wristwatch and muttered a silent oath directed at a certain blue-eyed blonde with a red bow on her head. _I can't believe it, she's already ten minutes late!_

Patience, obviously, is not one of her strong points (except for teaching Usagi and Minako how to cook and bake) and one of the things that she most hated in life is waiting for someone who is not as punctual as she is. And besides, Minako is the one who asked her to go shopping with her, she might as well show some courtesy and be early for a change. 

And then she suddenly remembered, that when it comes to being late, Minako is as worst as Usagi. 

Makoto groaned. 

She reached for her pocket and grabbed the communicator, but then decided to put it back. Talking to Minako through the communicator is a bad idea, she thought; unless,of course, she wanted the people to think that she's some kind of a sick idiot talking to a watch. 

Makoto stifled a yawn again. It's past five in the afternoon and the temperature is starting to cool down. She closed her eyes and leaned back on the wodden bench, her arms crossed on her chest. The distant hustle and buzzle around her sent music to her ears as she felt the cool breeze of the afternoon air touching her face. 

_Hmmm, this feels good,_ she mumbled to herself. _Oh, I forgot to ask Ami-chan if she's finished scanning the four shitennou with her computer. She must be probably busy and doesn't have time for other things. I wonder what's happening to her? She acts rather strangely these days and what's with her, giving Zoisite a weird look?_ Makoto chuckled. _Guess it wasn't my problem, anyway._

She felt the bench shifted a little as someone sat next to her. The tall brunette didn't even bother to open her eyes nor change her position. Instead, she made herself more comfortable. 

She opened one sleepy eye and dared a glance at the person sitting beside her. It was a guy, a tall one for that matter, but she couldn't see him because his face was covered by a large newspaper that he was reading. Then, she opened another eye and slowly leaned forward, studying closely the stranger's hand clutching the edge of the paper. 

_Oh, he has long fingers, and they were neat and clean. Exactly what I am looking for in a guy! I hope he's cute and good-looking..._

Hearing the gentle rustling of the newspaper, Makoto hastily closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. _Oh well,_ she thought. _He's probably old since guys these days don't have any interests on current events._

After few minutes of pretending to be asleep, Minako wasn't still around and Makoto felt really sleepy and drowsy. Actually, she wasn't able to have a good night's sleep because, as usual, she was busy cleaning her apartment and also because of that strange dream she had last night. 

_What was it again?_

The brunette dug deeper to her consciousness to recall that dream but she only got a fraction and some pieces of it. All she knew is that she's in a place somewhat like a forest and then she remembered reaching out for something or someone. 

_Yes, I was reaching out for something. It was a hand. It was warm and comforting, and yet, I could feel the strength in it. And then, I saw someone, the owner of the hand that reached for me. It... it was a man? Was it a man? And then, I saw his eyes. They were really beautiful..._

The stranger, who was actually a handsome young man (contratry to what the brunette thought earlier), beside Makoto suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. Folding the newspaper into two, he carefully turned to his left and chuckled softly. "My, what do we have here?" he whispered. He gazed at the tall brunette beside him and smiled. "Poor thing, she must be really tired." 

Edging a little closer to her, he slowly leaned back, careful not to wake the sleeping girl up, and settled Makoto comfortably on his shoulder. "I'm happy that my shoulder was able to provide you some comfort." 

Listening to the faint sound of Makoto's breathing, he smiled and unfolded the newspaper. _Sleep well._ He returned his gaze back at the papers and resumed reading. 

*** 

"Are you sure it's negative?" 

A vein popped out of Rei's head as she stared exasperatedly at the blue-eyed blonde in front of her. 

"Minako-chan," the miko bit out annoyingly. "You've been asking me that stupid question for five times now. I said, for the last time, _it_is_negative_, get it?! If you don't believe me, why don't you go and make your own fire reading?" 

The blonde winced at the steely tone in Rei's voice. "Jeesh, you don't have to shout," she said, fingering an ear. Then she smiled widely. "I bet Ami-chan would faint if she hear this one. I'm certain that she had already figured this out but she kept it a secret so that I wouldn't have this my way." 

Rei grunted. "I can't understand why this whole thing matters to you. And what are you so happy about?" She gave the blonde an appalled look. "So what if those morons weren't the same as they were? It doesn't make any sense, anyway." 

"Yeah, whatever." The blonde then glanced at her watch and screamed. 

"Minako-chan!!" Rei admonished. "This is a shrine. Would you please lower it down a bit?" 

"_Shimatta!_" she continued. "How could I have ever forgotten?! Mako-chan has been waiting for about thirty minutes! She must be very, very pissed off!" Then she hurried outside the fire room. "I must go." 

"If I were her, you could have been dead," Rei muttered sarcastically, trailing along behind her. 

*** 

Makoto tilted her head and snuggled herself more comfortably. Stifling a yawn, her eyes fluttered open and she suddenly gasped when she realized that she was still at the park... and her head was resting on somebody's shoulder. 

She hastily straightened up and glanced apologetically at the man beside her. 

"_Sumimasen, oji-san_," she said, bowing deeply. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sleep on your shoulder." She bit her lip and blushed furiously. "I-i..." 

"I don't think I looked that old," a baritone voice said amusedly. 

She slowly lifted her gaze and gasped audibly at the sight before her. "I-i, uh, gomen nasai!" And then she bowed again. 

"It's okay, ojo-san. You don't have to apologize. I'm glad I was able to, uhm, _help_ someone," the stranger said and smiled. "Were you able to have a good sleep?" 

Makoto blushed furiously. "H-hai. Thank you very much." 

Chuckling, he slowly stood up and straighted his pants. "That's good," he said, giving her a half smile. "Well, I'm off. See you around." He waved his hand and then turned to leave. 

_Nice seeing you again, hime-sama..._

Makoto followed his retreating form with her eyes until he was no longer visible. Frowning, she looked at the sky above and sighed. "Oh brother," she muttered incredulously. "I didn't even ask his name." 

Slowly, she furrowed her brows, feeling as if something had just hit her. Like a feeling of _deja vu_ or something. "I'm pretty sure I have seen him before... but I just can't seem to remember where and when," she whispered thoughtfully as she stared at the falling cherry blossoms. 

Makoto sighed and leaned back, feeling a headache building up. Gently closing her eyes, she put her hands on her head and slowly massaged her temples. 

_Remember, my hime-sama..._

_... remember..._

Her eyes suddenly snapped open. 

_Did I just hear something?_ Makoto turned her gaze to both directions but found no one. She just shrugged her shoulders and glnaced at her watch instead. 

"Sumimaseeen, Mako-chaaan!" 

Makoto lifted her gaze and blew air to her bangs. She stood up and crossed her arms on her chest. "Well, it's about time you showed up!" she clipped at the approaching blonde. 

"I'm very, very, very, very, sorry!" Minako clasped her own hands and bowed deeply. "I was at the Hikawa Jinja and I have forgotten the time and..." 

To Makoto's surprise, the blonde stared at her with teary eyes (the same eyes that Usagi use whenever she's asking for something), and clutched the brunnette's shirt. 

"Would you ever forgive me?" Minako whined. 

Makoto shook her head and sighed. "Fine," she replied with a half-smile. "Just don't do it again." 

Minako squealed and hugged her tightly. "Arigatou, Mako-chan!! You're really the best!" 

The brunette sweat-dropped as Minako shook her violently. "Alright, Mina-chan. Please stop it already, I'm getting dizzy!" 

The blonde hastily let go and grinned sheepishly. "Well, come on, Mako-chan," she said and took a step forward. "There are lots of shops waiting for us!" 

"I'm quite thankful, though, that you were late," Makoto suddenly murmured with a mysterious smile. 

"Nani?" Minako asked, furrowing her golden brows. 

"Oh nothing," she replied instead and grinned. She then grabbed the blonde's hand and dragged her away. "Let's go. My butt has been sleeping for almost an hour!" 

. 

.. 

... 

*** 

"Mamo-chan's so late," Usagi said with a pout. "If he's not here by five minutes, I'm going to order more chocolate sundae!" Then, she began digging at her third ice cream cup. 

"You've been saying that for the last fifteen minutes," Rei said exasperatedly. Then she frowned. "Why do we have to wait with you, anyway?" 

"Because I've spent all of my allowance for paying your ice creams, that's why!" the odango-haired blonde replied in an equally exasperated voice. 

Minako giggled, obviously on sugar-high. "Just let her be, Rei-chan. She might change her mind." Then she turned at Usagi. "Can I have some more?" 

"No." 

"Aww," the blonde whined, and then she cast a glance at her ice cream "A few more scoops and then it's gone." 

Usagi just stuck her tongue out. 

"Here, Mina-chan," Makoto said, fishing some one hundred yen coins out of her pocket then handing then over at the dumbfounded blonde. 

Minako squinted at her. "Are you sure?" 

"Absolutely." 

Then the blonde gave her a sly look. "Looks like you're pretty generous today," she said. "May I ask why?" 

"I'm just happy." 

"Why?" the four asked in unison. 

_Because I met a cute guy at the park yesterday..._

The brunette made a face. "Should there always a be reason to be happy?" Then she turned to Minako. "Quit interrogating me or else I'll change my mind." 

"Right!" the blonde replied and hastily waved at the waitress. "Hey, Unazuki-chan. I'll have another one of this please." 

"Hey, no fair!" Usagi snarled. "You should treat us too!" 

Makoto glanced at Ami and asked if she wants another one. 

"Thanks but I'm already full," the genius replied, shaking her head. 

"Baka," Rei muttered to Usagi with a grin. "Why should Mako-chan treat you when you have lots of money and you have already eaten so many beyond the average human consumption." Then she turned at the brunette. "Thanks, but this is enough with me." 

Makoto shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever you say." 

The automatic door of the fruit parlor suddenly slid open, and Usagi hastily jumped out of her seat, running towards the guy who just entered with arms stretched wide open. 

"Mamo-chan!" she exclaimed with a giggle, completely forgetting all about the ice cream. 

"Hey," Mamoru said with a smile, patting Usagi on the head. 

The odango blonde made a face. "That's not the proper way to greet your girlfriend! You might as well kiss me." 

Mamoru smiled sheepishly. "We're in a public place and besides I'm going to introduce you to... what are you doing?" he hastily asked, noticing his girlfriend peering behind his back. 

"Uhm, Mamo-chan, who is he?" Usagi asked. 

He spun around and gave the person behind him an apologetic smile. "As I was saying," he said after clearing his throat. "I would like you to meet - " 

"It's you!!!" Usagi suddenly shrieked out, pointing a finger at the dumbfounded guy, which immediately gained the other senshi's attention. 

"What was that?" Ami alarmingly said. 

"Odango atama is suffering again from severe melancholia," Rei said with a grin, sipping her milkshake. 

Minako glanced at the three people standing near the parlor's entrance. "Usagi-chan sure has this funny way of reacting to handsome men." 

"I wonder who he is," Makoto absentmindedly said, staring at Mamoru's companion. Rei was sitting beside her so her view was obscured by the miko's head. "He seems cute." she then turned her attention back at her ice cream. 

"Now, now, Usako, you know it's impolite to point at other people's faces," Mamoru said, scratching his head. Then he turned at the guy in front of him. "Gomen ne, Akimatsu-san. My girlfriend is suffering from, well, uhm..." He then fought hard to hide his grin. 

"Akimatsu?" Usagi abruptly asked. Then her eyes narrowed into him. "You're Zoisite-kun's brother?" 

He smiled. "So, you're one of his classmates, correct?" 

She didn't give an answer; instead, she stared at him closely. "You don't look like Nephrite at all." Usagi squinted at him. He still posses his midnight blue eyes and his wavy auburn hair. But, she noticed that, his hair is much shorter than before. It still looked good in him, nonetheless. 

"I can assure you that I'm Nephrite. 100 percent," he replied with an amused smile. "How did you know my name, by the way?" 

Usagi was taken aback by his question. "Well..." 

Mamoru hastily cleared his throat and smiled. "This is Tsukino Usagi," he said to Nephrite. "And that's her friends over there," he added, motioning the table across the room. 

"Hajimemashite , Tsukino-san," he said. "Would you be nice enough to introduce me to your friends?" 

"S-sure," Usagi replied, giving him a nervous smile. Then, she let Nephrite followed her towards their table. 

Mamoru let out a sigh before following the two. 

*** 

"You are suppose to hear a music when you meet the right one for you," Minako said knowingly. 

"Really..." Rei then replied flatly, extremely bored out of her wits . 

"Have you already heard it?" Makoto asked teasingly. 

The blonde's face became thoughtful. "Actually, I don't know." Then she grinned. "Now that I think of it, I might actually have heard of it when I rode Kunzite-san's car!" 

Rei snorted. "If you ask me, I'll say it's only the car stereo playing." 

The blonde rolled her eyes upward. "I'm not reacting to that." 

"Minako-chan, he's a former villain," Ami said. "How can you fall for someone like him? We're not even sure what are their motives. Why are they still here when it is obvious that they died some years ago?" 

"So what?" she said, unmoved. "The term was former, Ami-chan. And what's wrong with it?" 

"What about Yaten-kun?" Rei suddenly asked, a wicked smile on her face. "You do like him, don't you?" 

Minako frowned. "I shouldn't have fallen head over heels with that bimbo," she said dejectedly. "Why, I even hate the thought that I fell for him. Instead of saying his goodbyes to me, he said it to Luna! A cat, for crying out loud!!!" 

The brunette chuckled, crossing her arms on her chest.. "My, aren't we sour-graping." 

The blonde just stuck her tongue out to her. 

"Excuse me, guys," Usagi said as soon as she's within everybody's earshot. "I would like all of you to meet, Nephrite-san. He's Zoi-kun's older brother." 

Minako cocked an eyebrow. "Nephrite-san?" 

Then all of them stared at the newcomer. 

"Yeah," Usagi replied, wriggling her eyebrows. "Nephrite." 

"No way!" Makoto suddenly shrieked, to the surprise of the other senshi. 

Nephrite turned his gaze and smiled warmly at the brunette who just slept on his shoulder yesterday. "It's nice to see you again, ojo-san..." 

**A/N extras:** Am I nasty or what? Hehehehe! 

By the way, ojo-san means young lady in Japanese. 

Till next time! 

I've reloaded this chapter because some of the lines I wrote were missing, hehehe. Silly me. 


	5. Love at first fight

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, how many times do I have to say that?! 

Author's Notes: A few days ago, I was browsing for stories at FanFiction.Net when I stumbled upon Kaze's Falling In (read it, it's soooo good! a two-thumbs up!!). I was really surprised because Ami's personality there was very close to Ami in my story, though I can assure you that I didn't or wouldn't copy anything from anyone. 

The reason why I made Ami's personality like that is because of the movie Ami-chan no Hatsu koi or Ami-chan's First Love, and that thing between her and Ryo Urawa during the first season. It seems that Ami has this tendency to fall for guys whom she sees as her rival. You see, developing a crush with your rival is pretty cute, ne? But, it only works in love stories, not in real life, because THAT would be a disaster. ^_^ 

I may sound a bit defensive, but hey, I'm just providing some explanations in case some of you were wondering. No harm in that, right? 

And to Kaze (in case you're reading this), I read your post on Shitennou.com. You're right, they are very similar indeed. Though, I find it funny how my story turned out to be as similar as yours although I just read 'Falling In' last week. *sigh* Wish I could write like you do... Well anyway, good luck to us all! 

And as for my wonderful readers... waaaaaa, don't hate me! Don't hate me!! *disappears into oblivion, cowering in fear* 

Seriously speaking, sorry for ending the last chapter like that but... come on you guys, can't you appreciate a little cliffie once in a while? I mean, they make the story a bit more exciting, isn't it? 

...... 

*sweatdrops* I guess not. 

Anyway, I apologize for the delay since my schedule is fully loaded (imagine, going to work after school, tsk, tsk, tsk). Still, it is not an excuse for me not to write, right? Right! 

Domo arigatou gozaimasu, by the way, for the wonderful reviews (how shocking they may be ^_^ ). Hearing from you people inspires me to write more so please keep those reviews coming! Thanks. 

**_Chapter Five: Love at First Fight_**

"No way!" Makoto suddenly shrieked, surprising the other senshi. 

Nephrite turned his gaze and smiled warmly at the brunette who just slept on his shoulder yesterday. "It's nice to see you again, ojo-san." 

Usagi turned her gaze at Makoto, and then at the tall man beside her. "Hey, wait a minute here," she said, earning the two's attention. "You knew each other?" 

"Stupid question, Usagi-chan," Rei muttered. "From the looks of it, it is _very_ obvious that they know each other." 

Slowly scratching her head, the blonde's eyes turned into small dots. "Oh." 

Mamoru sighed hopelessly and walked closer to the group. Rei shot her a menacing look as soon as she noticed his presence. 

"Mamoru-san," the miko bit out in a dangerous tone. "You've got _some_ explaining to do." 

The other senshi, sans Usagi, also gave him a dirty look. 

Mamoru shook his head and chuckled. "Relax, Rei-chan," he said with a grin. "He's Akimatsu-kun, a friend of mine. He also studies medicine and we're classmates in most of our major subjects. My car broke down and he gave me a lift, and since he's here, I want to introduce him to all of you." 

Usagi snorted. "So that's why you're extremely late." 

"Well, I'm sorry." 

Makoto cast a glance at the auburn-haired man as Mamoru began the introductions. Frowning, she realized that Minako is terribly right. How can a villain look this sinfully attractive? Most of all, how come she didn't recognize him earlier? And to think that she acted like a freaking idiot in front of him and even made him a pillow! Makoto shook her head vigorously, stopping herself from blushing. _Pull yourself together, Mako-chan,_ the voice in her mind screamed. _He's bad, he's evil, and **he's dead**!!_

She forced herself to look the other way but it seems that her eyes were glued to his face. _My old senpai is definitely nothing compared to him._ She sighed dreamily. _Hmmm, my kind of guy..._

"And this is Kino Makoto, though I believe you've known each other," Mamoru said to Nephrite. "We all call her Mako-chan." 

"Actually, we just met at the park yesterday and I haven't introduced myself to her," Nephrite replied. 

Makoto felt a tugged at her sleeve and she immediately snapped back from her trance, her green eyes blinking at the longhaired blonde beside her. "N-nani?" 

"Mako-chan," Minako whispered fiercely. 

Meeting Nephrite's amused gaze, she felt herself blushing furiously. "I, uhm..." 

She heard him chuckle. 

"How do I fare?" Nephrite asked with a smile. "Did I pass your standards?" 

Her friends giggled at his question. 

Frowning to hide her embarrassment, Makoto turned sideways and lifted her chin defiantly. "I'm sorry but you have failed." 

"I did?" 

Makoto nodded. 

"Oh." 

Nephrite smiled, placing his hands on the pockets of his trousers. "Then I guess I have to work hard to pass your standards, ne?" And then he winked at her. 

Makoto's heart lurched violently that if it weren't for her rib cage, her heart must have reached the next table. "By all means." Letting out a sigh of relief, she praised herself for not stammering. 

He let out a throaty chuckle and smiled. "You'll give me a fair rating, then?" 

"Of course." 

Minako snickered softly. "I smell roma-ugh!" 

"I heard that," Makoto said through clenched teeth after elbowing the blonde at the side. 

"Nephrite-san, why don't you take a seat and join us?" Usagi offered cheerfully. "Mako-chan could buy you some ice cream." And then she cast a taunting look at Makoto's direction. The brunette glared daggers at her but she didn't mind a bit. 

"Yes," Ami agreed. "So we can get to know each other better." 

Smiling, Nephrite gently shook his head. "Thanks for your kind offer, ladies," he replied. "But I'm afraid I can't. I still have classes at the university, and in fact," at this, he glanced at his watch, "my next subject would be starting in about half an hour." 

"Oh, that's bad," Minako said this time, batting her eyelashes. "Mako-chan would be reeaaally disappointed." 

"Disappointed?" the brunette blurted out indignantly. "What the hell are you talking about? Why would I be disappointed?" 

"I bet she will," he said with a grin. Then he turned at Mamoru. "Thanks for introducing me to these young ladies, Chiba-kun." 

"Hey, no prob," Mamoru replied, smiling. "Thanks for the ride, by the way." 

"Well ladies, nice meeting you all," Nephrite said, smiling charmingly. "Hope to see all of you again soon." Then, his gaze lingered for a moment at the tall brunette. He gave her a curt nod before stalking off. 

"I'll walk you out," Mamoru said. 

"No need, Chiba-kun," he said behind his back, waving his hand. "I'll just find my way out." 

Just like what she did the day before, Makoto followed his retreating form until he was gone. She cleared her throat and was suddenly taken aback by her friends' intent gazes. "What?" she asked annoyingly. 

"I can't believe your flirting with him in broad daylight!" Rei amusedly said. And then she stared at her knowingly. "Are you going to convince us now that he's not evil, like what Minako-chan did?" 

Makoto frowned. "Cut if out guys, this isn't funny." 

"Mako-chan is blushing!" Minako taunted in a high-pitched voice. "I'm wondering why..." 

"Then, I guess I have to work hard to pass your standards, ne?" Usagi mimicked, her voice a few octaves lower than normal, and then giggled helplessly. 

The brunette rolled her eyes and crossed her arms on her chest. "I can't believe you're ganging up on me," she grumbled moodily. 

"Welcome to the club, Mako-chan," Rei teased, tapping her shoulder. "Tell us what it feels like being caught staring dreamily at someone?" 

And the three hooted with hilarity. 

"Stop it already!" she exclaimed exasperatedly, her brows twitching. "Or else, I'm going to leave!" 

The three continued to laugh and just ignored her. 

"Did you hear the music, ne Mako-chan?" Ami suddenly asked with a teasing smile. 

"Ami-chan!" she admonished surprisingly. "Don't tell me you're siding up with them?!" 

The blue-haired genius just giggled softly. 

Makoto then stared at Mamoru, her eyes turning into slits. "Are you going to make fun of me, too?" 

He just smiled tauntingly at her and said nothing. 

. 

.. 

... 

*** 

"Please come and see our play, Hino-sama ." 

"The whole cast would be glad if they saw you there." 

Rei smiled at the two younger students before her. "Actually, I have lots of things to do but... I'll try." 

The two beamed. "Really? We'll look forward to that!" they exclaimed in unison, making her laugh softly. 

After saying their goodbyes, the two bowed and left. 

"Those girls really have the highest respect for you, Rei-san," Sarashina Kotono, who was standing beside her, commented with a sigh. 

"I admit it is a bit flattering," she said with a smile, and then they started walking towards the school's exit. "By the way, the student council meeting today was quite in a ruckus. I don't like it. They were all disorganized." 

"I agree," Kotono replied. "You should have intervened. Most of the officers listen to you than to the chairman." 

Rei shook her head. "That is not necessary. Besides, I don't want them to lose their respect for Takeda-senpai even though she doesn't deserve it." 

The other girl chuckled. "You really have this way of speaking your mind out, and I admire you for that." 

"I'm just telling the truth," she said unemotionally. "Whenever she comes to meetings, which she rarely does, she always asks the people if she looks good or if her hair was in disarray or something. It is really a shame to the junior classmen. Sometimes, I do wonder how she won the chairmanship of the student council." 

"There's a rumor circulating around the council's office that she would be leaving her post soon," Kotono said. 

Rei momentarily shifted her gaze at her. "Really? This early?" 

"Yes. Probably so that she could prepare for the college entrance test," she replied, shrugging her shoulders. "And as Vice-chairman of the council, you are to succeed her." 

"That's a pity," Rei said with a wry chuckle. "Because I have no plans of becoming the council's chairman. The only reason why I run for vice-chairman is because Sr. Akane convinced me to. I'm allergic to politics, actually." 

"It's in the blood, Rei-san," Kotono teased. "You can't deny the fact that your father is a great politician and you must have inherited his good leadership abilities." 

Rei frowned at the mention of her father. "That's enough, Kotono-san," she said in a quite odd voice. "I'm not even proud of it." 

"Gomen ne, Rei-san," the other girl hastily apologized. "I didn't mean to be so blunt." 

She smiled. "It's alri--" 

But before Rei could finish her words, her face smacked on someone's hard chest and fell flat on her behind. Gasping, Kotono immediately helped her up. 

"Hey, what's your problem?" Rei asked with annoyance as she straightened her uniform. She bent over to brush the dust that clinged to her skirt away. "Don't you know where your eyes are for?" 

"Maybe it's you who doesn't know where your eyes are for," replied the voice amusedly that belonged to the person that Rei bumped into. 

Rei straightened up and opened her mouth to give that person a piece of her mind but unknowingly closed them back. A dark scowl registered on her face as soon as she saw the tousled blonde hair, the mocking blue eyes... and Juuban High's navy blue uniform. 

"Great," she muttered with sarcasm. "Just great." 

"Konnichiwa, _Rei-chan_," Jadeite said nonchalantly as he slowly picked his bag up from the ground. "You're as beautiful as ever." He then flashed a mocking grin at the miko's direction that made her even more furious. 

"Rei... chan?" Kotono repeated with disbelief. Then a smile gradually formed at the corner of her lips. 

"And you're as horrible as ever," Rei retorted. 

Jadeite just chuckled at her response and said nothing. Then, he cast a glance at the girl beside Rei. "My, what do we have here? A beautiful maiden whose smile could light up the entire galaxy. May I have the pleasure of knowing your name, fair lady?" 

Kotono blushed to the roots of her hair, obviously not accustomed with the advances of the opposite sex since they study in a conservative all girls' school. 

"Spare us your theatrics, _senpai_," the miko cut in, emphasizing the last word. "You haven't even apologized to me yet." 

"That," he said with a smirk, "is what I'll do later." He then took a step towards them and stared at Kotono in the eyes. "But first, let me introduce myself. I'm Akimatsu Jadeite, 18 years old and very much available. Now, may I know your name, ojo-san?" 

Rei snorted, rolling her eyes. 

Kotono smiled meekly and blushed. "I-i'm Sarashina Kotono. Nice to meet you, Akimatsu-senpai." 

Jadeite smiled his heart-melting smile and nodded courtly. 

Fowning, Rei flipped her hair and sighed impatiently. _Look at that jerk! His head must be probably the size of a float. Talk about monumental ego..._

"And since I'm a true gentleman," Jadeite then said, turning to her. "I apologize for bumping into you although it is not my fault that you have a faulty vision." At this, he chuckled dryly. 

"Nani?!!?" Rei exclaimed exasperatedly. He just grinned at her again, showing her his perfect set of white teeth. She clenched her fists on her side, a vein popping on her head. "Why you--" 

"Jadeite-kun!" 

The three slowly whirled around at the sound of the newcomer's voice. 

"Takeda-senpai?" Kotono muttered with mixed surprise, annoyance, and disappointment. Rei just merely raised a dark brow and glanced at the student council's chairman. 

Takeda Mitsuki, a stunning brunette with amber eyes and a very attractive body, beamed charmingly and clinged at Jadeite like a shellfish. "Sorry. Did you wait that long?" 

Rei shuddered. _What a great couple they make. They are truly perfect for each other..._

"Nope," he replied, grinning from ear to ear. "I just got here myself." 

Takeda sighed lovingly, her eyes shining with admiration. "Yokatta ne." 

The miko rolled her eyes. _Oh boy, I think I'm gonna throw up._

The newcomer then cast a glance at the raven-haired miko, a devious smile creeping slowly on her lips, as if telling Rei to back off because Jadeite is her property. "Hino-san, I would like you to meet..." 

"Oh don't bother, Takeda-san," Rei interrupted. "We've already known each other." Then, it was her turn to smile. "_Unfortunately_, that is." 

Wryly, Jadeite's lips twisted into a smile though he said nothing. 

"I see," he just simply said. 

Rei linked her arm with that of Kotono's, startling the girl in the process. "Well, Takeda-san, please excuse us." She then turned at Jadeite. "Senpai," she said, bowing and then giving him a mocking smile. 

Kotono just merely smiled politely and let herself be dragged by the raven-haired girl. 

Furrowing his brows, Jadeite watched as the two girls made their exit towards the sidewalks. "What's with her?" he muttered with a slight annoyance, still staring at Rei's retreating back. 

"Oh don't mind Hino-san," Takeda said, waving her hand. "She's always like that. Snobby and always have this air of superiority around her. She probably thinks she's better than everybody else since she's Representative Hino's daughter." She rolled her eyes and sneered. 

Jadeite turned to her and chuckled dryly. "It seems that you don't like her at all." 

"As a matter of fact, I don't," the brunette replied. "The only reason I put up with her is because she's my vice chairman and we have to work together." 

The two proceeded to walk down the street. 

Takeda went on with her tirade. "I still don't get it, though, why the boys in Moto Azabu are practically drooling over her." 

_Not to mention those fools at Juuban High, too._ Jadeite snorted. 

"She's just plain-looking," the brunnete said exasperatedly. "Why, I look better than her, anyway!" 

He shook his head and clucked his tongue disapprovingly. _Women and their vanity..._

"So," Takeda tugged his sleeve, bringing him back from his reverie. "What do you think of her?" 

Jadeite stared at the brunette with disbelief in his blue eyes. "Excuse me?" 

"How do you find her?" 

He pursed his lips with annoyance though he hid it well. "Why are you asking me this?" 

"I just need to know." 

He chuckled wryly and shook his head. "To tell you the truth, I..." _... find her interesting..._ Jadeite hastily cleared his throat and smiled. "She's not my type." 

"Honto?" 

"Uh-huh," he replied with a brief nod. "She's too... difficult." 

The brunette squealed and dragged him joyfully. "Come on, let's go somewhere private." 

Jadeite just sighed and complied unwillingly. 

Meanwhile, on the other end of the street, Rei and Kotono are walking towards the nearest bookstore. 

"So much for being available..." Kotono sighed with disappointment. 

"That jerk really has a good taste," Rei, smirking, said with sarcasm. "I didn't know that the likes of Takeda-san were his type. Maybe this _reborn_ thing dislocated some gears on his brain, though I have every doubt in the world that he has one." 

The other girl slowly turned to her. "Reborn?" 

Rei gulped audibly and stopped. "Uhm, er, it's nothing," she replied sheepishly. "Come on, Kotono-san. Let's go faster." And then she started walking. "I have to go find a replacement for that stupid manga because I accidentally spilt some chocolate on Usa-chan's collections." 

Upon reaching the bookstore, the two girls went inside and Rei immediately started to look for the manga. 

"Did you see how Takeda-san clinged to Jadeite-senpai?" Kotono asked with a playful smile. 

"Yeah," the miko replied as she rummaged through the array of mangas and comics on the shelf. "As if she's stuck with a super glue or something." 

Kotono giggled. "And, she wouldn't probably even introduce him to you if not for good manners." 

"True. She stared at me as if I'm going to snatch her boyfriend away from her!" she agreed with dry amusement. 

"Takeda-san knows a threat when she sees one." 

Rei paused briefly to stare at her classmate. "Flattery won't get you anywhere, Kotono-san," she said. She then turned her attention back at the stack of Manga. "He's not even my type! In fact, I don't like boys. They are extremely stupid." 

"Are we?" 

Kotono eeked and jumped back after hearing something that resembled Jadeite's voice. Slowly turning to her left, the sight of him confirmed her speculations. The blonde guy placed his index finger on his pursed lips, motioning her to keep quiet. 

Rei whirled suddenly around, startling him. "Oh indeed, senpai," she said with a sly smile. "You probably think I didn't notice you back there, did you?" 

Jadeite grinned sheepishly. "Oh hi, Rei-chan. Didn't see you there." 

She slowly pulled the manga from the stack and tucked it in her arm. "Where's Takeda-senpai? She's with you, wasn't she?" 

"She left me after I accidentally told her that arguing with you is much _amusing_ than listen to her rant and rave," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. 

Rei raised a brow. "Is that an insult?" 

"It depends on how you take it." Then he grinned at her. 

"I'll take that as a compliment, then," she muttered dryly. 

Kotono giggled softly but abruptly stopped when Rei blankly stared at her. "Gomen," she whispered, but then again, she kept on giggling. 

Rei proceeded to the counter to pay for the item, with Kotono and Jadeite trailing behind her. Noticing that the other girl didn't buy anything for herself, she turned to her and said, "I thought you're going to buy something, too?" 

She smiled and shook her head. "I've changed my mind." 

"Oh okay," she said, nodding. "Let's go." Then they exited the establishment. 

Kotono turned to her and smiled as soon as they were outside. "Well, see you tomorrow, Rei-san," she said. 

Rei smiled in return. "Thanks and take care." 

Kotono nodded. Turning to Jadeite, she said, "Nice meeting you, senpai." 

Jadeite chuckled. "The pleasures all mine." 

The girl waved her hand and left, leaving the two behind. 

Rei started walking, but stopped abruptly after noticing that Jadeite is following her. She turned to him and frowned. 

"What's your problem?" she snapped. "Why are you following me?" 

"Following you?" he repeated in a mocking tone. "You must be crazy for thinking that I'm following you." Then he sauntered past her. "I didn't know that a snobby little girl like you read something like this." He raised something in his right hand and shook it. 

Rei gasped and immediately glanced at her hand to look for the manga. And she's right, her eyes were not deceiving her. The stuck up jerk in front of her have already got it. 

"Hey, give it back!" 

Jadeite read the title. "The Adventures of the Pink Little Mouse." And then he turned at her and laughed. "What kind of story is this?" 

"Why don't you read it and find out for yourself?" she retorted sarcastically. Rei snatched the manga back from him and placed it inside her bag. 

"How could I?" he said, chuckling amusedly. "You've already took it." 

Rei pushed him aside and marched briskly, still hearing his mocking laugh. Stopping at the nearby bus stop, the miko clenched her fist and gritted her teeth. _Somebody's gonna pay for this humiliation tomorrow..._

The next day... 

"You owe me a strawberry cake, odango atama," Rei said balefully as she, together with the other inner senshi, strolled in the corridors of Juuban High. 

"Hey, it's not my fault that Jadeite-senpai has this sick sense of humor," Usagi shot back indignantly. "If you didn't ruin my manga, you wouldn't have to replace it in the first place. And why did you have to show it to him, anyway?" 

"I didn't show it to him," she bit out. "He _took_ it from me, got it?" 

"Yeah, whatever." 

"By the way, Rei-chan," Ami asked. "How did your date with him go?" 

Rei hastily stopped and turned to the blue-haired girl. "Excuse me?" 

"Your date with him," Makoto repeated for the her. "How did it go?" 

She stared incredulously at them. "What the heck are you talking about? I didn't go out with him." 

"Well, that's what he said," Minako said, shrugging her shoulders. 

Rei glowered, gritting her teeth. "That jerk..." 

Not far from where they stood, something suddenly caught the miko's attention. "What's that?" she asked, pointing at a big bulletin board. 

"It is a sort of a freedom board where you can write anything," Ami replied. "Your grievances, love notes, anything! Although, writing bad words are not allowed." 

"Oh," Rei muttered and she slowly walked towards it, momentarily forgetting the thing about the blond guy. Her friends followed suit. 

"It was Zoisite-kun's idea," Usagi said as they stood in front of it. "Isn't it great?" Then she turned meaningfully at Ami. The blue haired girl just looked somewhere else. 

Rei scanned the notes and all sorts of graffiti, and laughed. "_Tsukino Usagi, can you teach me how you fix your hair?_" she read. She turned at the odango blonde, who was scowling, and snickered. "Hey, this is really funny. I hope we'll have something like this at TA, too." 

"Get a load of this, Rei-chan," the brunette called out. "_Wanted: Boyfriend. Anyone who's interested, look for Aino Minako of class 2-1._" 

"A little desperate, aren't we?" the miko said tauntingly at Minako. 

The longhaired blonde rolled her eyes. "Mako-chan wrote that, not me." 

Makoto grinned. "Hey, I'm just helping." 

Rei resumed reading. "_I love you Kino Makoto, signed MK_." Furrowing her brows, she turned at her friends. "Who's this MK?" 

The four all shrugged their shoulders. 

"There are lots of students with initials like that," Minako provided. Then she grinned. "Just take a look at what Mako-chan had said." 

_To MK, Shut the hell up or I'm gonna kick your butt! Kino Makoto_

Rei burst out laughing. "It's Mako-chan alright." 

The brunette snorted. "If I find who wrote that blasphemy, I'm going to kick his butt so hard he'll gonna kiss the moon and the stars. Not to mention all the moons in Jupiter, too," she said. 

Ami giggled. "That's only half of it," Ami chimed in. "The following day, Mako-chan found a note in her locker saying she could kick his butt anytime." 

Rei turned at the brunette. "Why don't you ask him out? Maybe you'll like each other." The brunette just stuck out her tongue in response. She glanced back at the board. "Hey, how come there's no message for Ami-chan?" 

"Acutally," Usagi butted in. "Ami-chan got lots of them but she erased all of it since she arrive here early." 

"Oh." 

Rei let her eyes wander more at the messages and stopped. "What the..." 

_Jadeite-sama, please ask me out._ And then, there's this one: _Jadeite-senpai is really cute_. And then: _Support the Akimatsu Jadeite's Fans Club_. Rei grimaced, refusing to look at the other messages. "I can't believe this." 

"Jadeite-senpai is really popular among the girls," Ami said. "You don't know how much trouble we get everytime he talks to us." 

"Yeah," Minako agreed. "If eyes could kill, all of us are probably dead by now." 

"Minako-chan, it's 'If looks could kill,' not 'eyes'," Makoto corrected. 

"They're pretty much the same to me," the blonde replied nonchalantly. 

The miko smiled, an idea crossing her mind. "Can I write, too?" she asked, turning to them. 

"Of course," Ami replied. "It's a freedom board, remember? Everybody could write." 

Rei's grin grew wider as she borrowed Minako's black marker. She bent over and poised the tip of the pen on the board. She paused for a while before scribbling her message. 

Her friends looked on. 

Rei returned the marker back at the blonde as the four stood stupefied on the spot. 

"Now, that's what I call a real message," she said, admiring her handiwork. 

Her friends stared at her for a moment then glanced at what she wrote. "Jadeite is a jerk who pisses on his pyjamas every morning," they all read in unison. 

"Oh, I forgot something," Rei muttered and quickly snatched the marker back from Minako. With a scholarly scrawl, she wrote 'Hino' in kanji. "There." 

"You don't know what you're doing, Rei-chan," Minako mumbled anxiously. 

"Of course I know what I'm doing," she said with a sly smile. "Well, come on guys. No need to stay here further." With that, she slowly strolled towards the school's exit. 

Usagi snickered. "Rei-chan is as sick as Senpai, if you ask me." 

"Yeah," Makoto agreed, nodding slowly. "My thoughts exactly." . 

.. 

*** 

Jadeite whistled to himself, carrying his lunch, as he walk towards the back of the school where he usually eat. Every now and then, he flashes his dazzling smile to all of the girls that he come across to, making his popularity grow even higher. 

Noticing that there were so many people in front of the freedom board again, he chuckled. "Zoisite's idea was really a hit. Why, I wouldn't be able to think of that in a million years!" He continued to walk, grinning stupidly. "But I still wonder, how come he's not writing anything?" 

"If Akimatsu ever read that message for him, he'll probably explode." A snicker. 

Jadeite stopped at the sound of voices not far from him. He slowly turned his head and saw two of his classmates talking. 

"Yeah," the other one agreed. "It's quite shocking. Nobody have attempted to write something like that before." Then the two started walking away. 

Furrowing his brows, he changed his course and headed for the freedom board instead. And just as the Red Sea parted for Moses, the mass of students flocking the board automatically splitted, allowing him to get closer. 

"Hidoi!" 

"That's so mean!" 

"Whoever wrote that should be hanged!" 

Jadeite smiled amusedly at the comments he heard. Obviously, those girls are trying to sympathized with him. He chuckled. That message must be really terrible, he thought to himself. 

At last, he's finally in front at the board. Everybody went quiet as he read the infamous message. 

To everybody's surprise, Jadeite burst out laughing, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably from mirth. "Whoever wrote this must really have a unique sense of humor," he managed to choke out in between laughs. 

"You're not mad, senpai?" a girl, then, asked, obviously a member of his fan's club. 

He stopped laughing and turned at the girl. "Of course not. This is really funny." 

Majority of the girls sighed with disappointment. If they knew that this is the only way they could catch his attention, they have probably done it long ago. 

Jadeite read the message once again, still smiling unbelievably. His smile grew wider as soon as he saw the kanji at the end of the message. "So, she _was_ here." Then, he turned at the people behind him. "Does any of you have some marker that I could borrow?" 

A handful of pens and markers were given to him in response. Mumbling his thanks, he took one of them and crouched to write his message. Smiling to himself, he started to write exactly the first idea that came to his mind... 

*** 

**A/N extras:**

Hope you enjoyed it. By the way, Sarashina Kotono is also property of Naoko Takeuchi. If you had read the manga, the Black Moon Fmily Arc, she's the girl with silver hair. She's really cute, like a female version of Kunzite, hehee. 

Well, goodbye for now. Till next time. Next chapter's about Minako! 


	6. Minako's first date with destiny

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is not mine and it will never be. 

Author's Notes: Yay! I'm back! Uhm, first and foremost, I'm very, very sorry for the long delay. I know it's been almost three months since my last update (it IS really been a while, ne?) and I'm really really sorry. I won't give you all the details of my absence because, believe me, it would take up so much time it I would do so. 

I'm very grateful, by the way, for all of the wonderful reviews. A million thanks to you guys! Hope you won't get tired of reviewing my story O_o! 

And if you have suggestions, well, I'm very very open to it. 

Anyway, as I have promised, here's Minako and Kunzite's chapter. Enjoy! 

**_Chapter Six: Minako's first date with destiny_**

"If not for that stupid accident, I don't have to spend my entire savings for that stupid ball," the longhaired blonde mumbled moodily to herself as she strolled balefully in the sidewalks, her arms crossed on her chest. 

Clenching her fist on her side, Minako stopped abruptly and kicked a stray rock on the pavement. "Minako no baka!!!" 

The rock went flying on the streets before it hit a nearby trash bin with a loud crash, causing some stray cats to scamper to their feet and flee. 

The blonde frowned and continued walking. With a sigh, she recalled the last week's incident. 

_"You're dead!" Minako yelled out with a grin as she leaped on her feet and gave the ball a fatal spike. _

"Yikes!" her teammate, who was about to receive the ball, exclaimed and hastily ran and avoided the speeding thing. 

With a loud thud, the ball hit the wooden floor and bounced back high into the air, and came crashing through the gymnasium's glass window. 

Minako, mortified by the scene, bit her nails and glanced anxiously at everybody. 'Holy crap!' she muttered to herself. 

A junior member of the volleyball club came up to her and patted her shoulder, "Looks like you're in trouble, senpai," she said with a taunting grin. 

She, along with all the other members, hurried outside to find and retrieve the lost ball, and her jaw almost fell down when they found it. 

Sticking out of a pointed branch of a tree, the ball, or rather the crumpled piece of rubber, was dangling from it. 

"Mina-chan." 

Minako spun around and saw their coach coming out from the gym. 

"It's an original Wilson that you have just destroyed," their coach, though obviously annoyed, said with a quirky smile. "You have to replace it." 

You have to replace it... 

Replace it... 

Replace it. 

"Graaaagh!!!" she screamed in frustration as the words echoed in her head. She gave her head a hard shake before entering the Sports shop. 

After the salesman pointed the direction to her, she proceeded to the shelf where all kinds of balls used in different sports are stored. She examined carefully all the brands for her coach told her that she must buy the exact replacement. 

"Now, where could that be?" she muttered. She let her eyes wander all over the place for few seconds. And with a loud groan, she found what she was looking for. Unfortunately, it was on the topmost shelf. "Great! How am I supposed to get up there?" Then she frowned. "If Mako-chan was only here... " 

First, she tried reaching them by stretching on her toes. No can do. Being inches smaller than the tall brunette, the task was very, very difficult for her. Then, she turned her head around and tried to look for a stool or a small ladder to stand on, but she found none. 

"When the gods decided to punish you, they _really_ punish you indeed," she muttered darkly, blowing air to her golden bangs. "Where the heck is everybody?!" 

Minako then lifted her chin and stared at the ball above her. Judging from the height of the shelf, it must be one to two feet taller than her. She tilted her head and paused, making some quick mental calculations to herself. Then suddenly, an idea clicked on her brain. 

"Hey, I'm the best spiker of Juuban High..., not to mention I _was_ the leader of the inner senshis," she muttered fiercely to herself. "I don't need anything to stand on... All I have to do is... JUMP!!!" 

The blonde grinned evilly and rolled the sleeves of her uniform as she took a few steps backwards. With a warcry that would make Xena, the warrior princess, proud, Minako lunged for the shelf and sprang from the ground. Smiling impishly while on midair, she made a grab for the ball and... landed flat on her behind with a loud thud. 

"Owwww!" Minako wailed as she rubbed her back, her body still sprawled on the floor. "Of all the stupid, idiotic..." With her brows twitching, the blonde glared and, with her free leg, kicked the base of the shelf. 

"Serves you right!" she spluttered indignantly and proceeded slowly to stand up. 

A slow creaking sound was suddenly heard and Minako, furrowing her brows, slowly whirled around, and then... "S-shimatta!" 

An avalanche of volleyballs, basketballs, footballs, and other kinds of balls crashed onto the startled blonde, who, despite of the rapid succession of events, still managed to find the chance to scream. 

Not far from where the so-called "disturbance" was happening, a certain silver head snapped up and quickly glanced behind his back. Settling his pen on the counter, he hurriedly went to the "source" of the scream and... stopped. Sighing, he shook his head and stared at the scattered sports paraphernalias on the floor. Somebody was _victimized_ by that shelf _again_, he thought grimly. _That thing really needs repairs!_

Crouching, he helped remove the heap of balls from the poor victim. _Balls shouldn't be placed on a rack. They should be in a big basket or something_, he said to himself. "Miss, are you alright?" he said aloud. 

He got no reply. 

"Miss?" 

He slowly removed the ball covering the head of the customer and gasped slightly at what he saw. Chuckling to himself, he gave the swirly-eyed face of the blonde girl a light tap. "Minako-chan?" 

Minako's eyelids fluttered open and found herself staring at a pair of cool gray eyes. "K-kunzite-san? Am I in heaven?" 

"Heaven?" he asked, perplexed. He then laughed quietly and smiled at the girl in front of him. "Minako-chan, you're not dead yet." 

"I'm not?" she dazedly asked. 

"Yes," he replied, standing up. "Here, let me help you up." Kunzite extended his hand and reached for Minako's. He gripped her hand lightly and started to pull her up when something flashed before his very eyes, magically transporting him to an unknown place of unknown time and circumstances. 

_Kunzite smiled warmly at himself, gazing at the goldenhaired goddess who was sitting gracefully under a big willow tree with her back resting on the tree's trunk. 'His' goddess, he amended thoughtfully with a chuckle. _

The warm light of the setting sun casts a faint glow on her, accenting her beautiful features that made her renowned in the entire galaxy. A soft chuckle escaped from Kunzite's lips as he saw her lips and brows twitch from what appears to be that she's doing. 

A massive scroll was balanced unsteadily on her lap as her right hand held a quill poised centimeters away from the scroll, ready to write. She glanced upwards, thinking for a moment, and scribbled something on the scroll but then abruptly crossed it out. 

"Damn! When will I ever finish this?" he heard her say. 

Stepping out of his hiding place, Kunzite decided to approach her. He made a quick stop, straightening his military uniform, and then walked slowly and quietly towards her. The tall general halted a few inches before her. Kunzite smiled. Even he stood there, towering over her, she didn't even notice that somebody was already behind her back. 

He slowly crouched down as the girl tilted her back, still deep in whatever she is doing. Kunzite playfully put his hands on her eyes and whispered softly, "May I be of any assistance, princess?" 

He felt her body stiffen for a moment and then gradually shook with laughter. "Well of course, milord," she replied, smiling, and covered his hands with hers. "But first, kindly remove your hands from me. However strong and warm they may be, they are still blocking my view." 

Kunzite chortled and complied to her wishes. "What are these? The queen gave you some 'homework?'" he asked with a grin, settling himself on her side. 

The girl pouted, snuggling closer to him. "I'm sorry," she quietly said. "I know I should be spending my free time with you but..." 

Kunzite shushed her, placing his index finger on her lips. "I understand, you don't have to explain," he said, giving her a reassuring smile. "In fact, the prince send me into some stupid errand before I came sneaking up in here." 

"Are you finished with it already?" 

He shook his head. "No. I hand it to the others." He smiled. "Besides, it's just a trivial matter." 

"What did he tell you to do?" 

"He just told me to pick some roses for the moon princess. He said he'll give it to her when they meet tomorrow night." 

To his surprise, the golden haired girl suddenly doubled over with laughter. "What's so funny?" he asked. 

"Nothing," she answered, suppressing her laughter. "That is so sweet! Endymion is such a sweet guy. Why, my boyfriend doesn't even think of giving me flowers!" 

Kunzite raised a brow. "Do you want me to give you one now?" 

"Oh, he's getting jealous!" she taunted, poking him on the ribs. She then threw her arms around his neck. "I'm just kidding, love. You know I wouldn't want you to. I don't want them to get suspicious." 

He grinned and then kissed the tip of her nose. "Yes. It would be a disaster if they found out that the prince and princess of the earth and moon are in love, and the head of their guardians are tolerating it." 

"Because," she added, smiling playfully, "they are in love with each other, too..." 

Kunzite's reverie was immediately cut short by a sudden loud 'oof!' Blinking his eyes and shaking his head abruptly, he glanced down at the tiled floor and gasped. 

"Oh gods, I'm so sorry!" he apologized and quickly helped Minako up again. 

"Hey, why did you drop me for?" the blonde whined, rubbing her behind, as Kunzite hoisted her up. "I'm not that heavy..." 

Kunzite muttered another apology and picked up the volleyball on the floor. "Are you alright?" he then asked as soon as the girl was back on her feet. _Damn, what happened to me? What was that all about?_

"I'm fine," she replied and smiled at him. 

"Sorry 'bout that," he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "My hand must have slipped." 

"It's okay, don't worry about it." Minako then took the volleyball from him. 

"I'm really sorry," he said once again. Then, he gazed apprehensively at her. "Do you have something to do after..." 

Minako's face lit up. "No, I don't," she replied excitedly. "Why?" 

"I was wondering if you could come with me and have some snacks," he said, smiling at her reaction. "I was kind of hungry myself. I'll treat you out so I can repay you for..." at this he chuckled mildly, "...dropping you on the floor." 

"Of course, I'll be glad to!" Her overbright smile could almost light up the whole establishment. "I'll just pay for this one." With that, the blonde girl went bouncing towards the cashier. 

Kunzite watched her with a smile on his lips, admiring how her long golden hair sway with her every move. But, his smile gradually disappeared, remembering the strange vision that he had just minutes ago. 

He slowly massaged his temples. He's very sure that the guy he saw there was really him. And the feeling is real too, as if he's the one who's walking, talking, and embracing that girl. As if it is something that happened to him not long ago. 

And that girl, the mysterious golden haired goddess. Why did he have this feeling that he suddenly misses her? And why does she looked remarkably like... 

"Kunzite-san?" Minako's smiling blue eyes stared up to him. 

He rubbed his eyes and then slowly smiled at her. "Let's go." 

***** 

"Where's Minako-chan?" Rei asked exasperatedly, her arms folded across her chest. 

"She left early, she said she have to buy something," Makoto replied absentmindedly, her attention diverted by a thick romance paperback on her hand. "She'll just meet with us at Hikawa Jinja." 

The raven haired miko plopped herself on the bench and sat beside the brunette. "Is there something weird going on here at Juuban High?" she suddenly asked. 

Makoto tore her gaze from the book to stare at her. "What do you mean _weird_?" Her friend just gave her a sly smile. The brunette tilted her head. "Hmm, let me guess. You're asking about the message board, right?" 

Rei shrugged her shoulders. 

"Well, I don't know," the taller girl replied. "I haven't passed by the message board and I haven't seen Senpai yet." 

"Mako-chaaaaan!!!" Usagi's loud voice suddenly echoed throughout the whole place. 

"Oh Kami-sama, the loud speaker is here," Rei grunted. 

Usagi, along with Ami on her side, went towards her friends but stopped upon seeing the miko and blanched. "R-Rei-chan? What the heck are you doing here? Aren't we supposed to meet you at your place?" 

Rei rose from her seat. "Well, I've decided to come here." She raised a brow, sensing the blonde's anxiety. "Is there a problem?" 

"Of course, there's none," she replied nervously. "Haha, why would there be?" She sauntered past her and sat beside the brunette after wiping the cold perspiration from her temples, which of course, didn't escape the miko's sharp gaze. 

"By the way, Rei-chan," Ami said. "Your message caused quite a stir yesterday. I heard from my classmates that Jadeite-senpai wrote something in return, too." 

"Ami-chan!" the odango blonde suddenly exclaimed with alarm, earning the appalled look of the three. 

"What the heck was that shouting for?" Makoto asked amusedly. 

"Um, nothing." 

Rei's gaze narrowed into her. "Are you hiding something from me?" 

"No, I'm not." 

"You saw it, didn't you?" 

Usagi abruptly shook her head. "No, I didn't." 

Rei grabbed her hand and yanked her from the bench. "Come on, we'll going to see it!" 

"Aww, do we have to? I mean, what is there to see?" the odango blonde wailed as the miko dragged her. "There are better things to do than go see that stupid message board. Why don't we just go to the shrine and study?" 

Makoto and Ami looked at each other and decided to follow the two... 

In front of the big message board, Rei's nose flared and she gritted her teeth after her whole name caught her eyes. 

"Come on, Rei-chan," Usagi said, tugging the miko's sleeves. "You wouldn't take this seriously, would you?" 

Rei didn't give an answer. Instead she muttered a dangerous: "I swear I'm gonna skin that jerk alive..." 

"So what did Senpai write?" Makoto suddenly asked, approaching them. 

The odango blonde pointed at the message board and the brunette and Ami followed the direction of her finger. 

They both gasped audibly and stood flabbergasted on the spot. 

"Oh my god," Makoto muttered slowly after recovering her composure. "That shittenou is going to be dead soon." 

"That bloody idiot, how dare he assumed so," the miko bit out. "Just you wait. There will be hell to pay." 

She glanced back at Jadeite's writings once again. Rei tightly shut her eyes but, like a ghost that was haunting her vision, the message kept on flashing in her mind like a neon sign... 

_Hino Rei is going to be my girlfriend, mark my words._

***** 

Minako glanced at the man on her side and giggled silently. _This is really my lucky day!_ she said cheerfully to herself. She dared another glance at him as he took a bite at his burger. They were in a park because Kunzite suggested that it would be nicer if they were to eat outside, literally. 

"What are you doing in the sports shop? Are you working there?" she then asked after dipping her tongue on her ice cream. 

"Not quite," he replied. "Actually, my friend owns that store. I'm just helping him out a little." 

"Oh." 

Kunzite glanced at her and smiled. "I'm really sorry for what happened back there. I didn't mean to drop you unceremoniously like that." 

"I told you it's okay. You've been apologizing to me for the past fifteen minutes," the blonde replied, chuckling. "I'm quite thankful I didn't break my back or something." 

The fair haired man laughed softly. "So, tell me something about yourself." 

"Me? There's nothing much to tell," she replied. "My life is a complete bore." _Well, except for the times when some ugly youmas came out of nowhere and tried to kill us,_ she added mentally. 

"Zoisite said that you've been kind to him when he had first met you. You and your friends had even asked them out." 

Minako waved her hand and laughed nervously, remembering Rei and the incident at Crown Fruit Parlor. "That was nothing. We're just playing the part of a good... uhm, schoolmate." 

A moment of silence passed them as they took a bite at their snacks. 

"Uh, can I ask you something, Kunzite-san?" Minako suddenly said with hesitation. 

"Sure." 

"Do you... have a girlfriend?" The blonde braced herself for the dreadful answer and for the angry words for the unwanted intrusion in his personal life. Instead, she heard a soft chuckle emanating from his throat. 

"Hell, I don't," he answered, grinning at her . 

"What about Setsuna-san?" she blurted out. Minako hastily covered his mouth, mentally kicking herself for her tactlessness. _Damn!_

Kunzite glanced at the girl. "What about her?" he asked with amusement. 

"W-Well, she's the one who introduced me to you, isn't it?" she stammered. 

"Ah, yes I remember." He paused for a while, thinking. "Setsuna-san is just a friend. She was Nephrite's classmate in some subject, it was Advance Psychology, I think, and he introduced her to me. Since then, we've been bumping frequently into each other. She's really a nice person." 

Minako absentmindedly took a bite at her ice cream. "So you mean Nephrite-san knew her before you did?" she asked, her brows furrowing. 

"Yes." 

_This is not making any sense,_ the blonde girl thought suddenly. _It's impossible that Setsuna-san knew of the existence of the shittenou and yet she didn't tell anyone._

"Hey." Kunzite waved his hand in front of the girl's face. "Are you alright?" 

Minako smiled apologetically. "Oh, sorry. I had this bad habit of spacing out. You were saying something?" 

"I was about to tell you that you're ice cream is melting in your hand and it's going to trickle down to your skirt approximately... now." 

"W-wha?" Minako then glanced at the ice cream on her hand and abruptly stood up, muttering a startled oath, and took the thing away from her to prevent it from smacking on her uniform. However, it didn't prevent her hand from being smudged with chocolate ice cream. 

'Great,' she muttered exasperatedly to herself. 'You really have this habit of making a complete idiot out of yourself.' 

She hastily wiped the excess ice cream on her hand with some table napkins and settled herself back at the bench. Grinning sheepishly, she gave Kunzite a brief glance. 

"That's the reason why I don't eat ice cream," Kunzite said, smiling amusedly at her. 

Minako's eyes widened. "You don't?" she asked, surprised. "You're missing a lot in your life!" 

He chuckled. "Really now." 

"Kunzite-san?" 

"Hmmm?" 

"Do you rem--" 

A loud buzzing sound suddenly interrupted Minako's words and the blonde bit her lower lip in annoyance. Clutching her communicator in her pocket, she smiled apologetically at Kunzite and excused herself. She hurriedly walked away, placing herself a good few meters away from him. 

Cursing under her breath, Minako slipped out the communicator and opened the line. 

"WHAT?!" she snapped. 

"Where the heck are you?!" Rei said exasperatedly on the other line. "Have you forgotten that it is you who's supposed to bring the snacks?! We're starving here!! How long would it have to take you to buy that stupid ball, anyway?!" 

Minako sighed inwardly. "By the gods, Rei-chan! I was about to uncover one of the greatest secrets in the universe and you came beeping me ranting about food?! You have destroyed a perfect moment!" 

"What are you talking about?" 

"I'm with Kunzite-san." 

"Who-- oof!" 

Rei suddenly disappeared from the screen as Usagi came into view. 

"You are?" the odango blonde asked. 

"You'll gonna pay for that, you dumb blonde!" Rei's muffled shouts were heard from the background. 

"Yeah," Minako replied, her brows twitching. "Now, do you mind? The goddess of love is having a date here." 

"Yeah whatever," Makoto said behind Usagi, and then followed by shrieks of laughter. 

The long haired blonde rolled her eyes at the sound of Makoto, Usagi and Rei laughing. "Do you have anything more to say? I'll turn the communicator off now." 

This time, Ami appeared on the screen. "Uhm, Minako-chan? Rei-chan said you'll have to be here in 15 minutes of else she'll throw you to the great fire." 

Minako grunted. "Alright," she replied, frowning. 

She turned the communicator off and trudge grudgingly towards where Kunzite sat. The man seemed to be lost in thought but he immediately looked up when he sensed Minako's presence. 

"I'm sorry, Kunzite-san but I have to go," she said slowly as she sat beside him. "My friends will kill me if I don't." 

"Okay," he said, nodding. "If that's the case, I'll drive you there." 

"Oh no, you don't have to," she said. "I'll be fine." 

"But I insist." 

Minako was tongue-tied. "But..." 

"Come on, you'll reach the place much faster." 

The blonde sighed, and then smiled. "Alright. They are in Hikawa Jinja." 

"It's that one located in Sendai Hill, right?" 

She nodded happily. 

"Well, let's go. We shouldn't keep your friends waiting." 

***** 

Usagi chewed exasperatedly on the eraser of her pencil as a drop of sweat trickled down her forehead. Glancing at the math problem in front of her, the odango blonde made a grumbling sound in sync with her grumbling stomach. 

"Do we have to answer all this math problems?" the odango blonde whined. "I'm getting dizzy, my head's aching and I'm so hungry!" The last phrase was added with a wail. "I'm going home." 

"Oh no you don't," Ami hastily said. "Minako-chan told me that the two of you failed again in your math test. You have to study so that you'll get a higher score next time." 

"But I'm a having a headache..." 

Rei gave her a mocking grin. "You know, odango atama," she said. "The head is like the stomach. It hurts when it doesn't have anything on it." 

Makoto choked out her laughter while Ami rolled her eyes at the analogy. 

Usagi gritted her teeth and glared at the miko. "Why you..." 

Rei just stuck out her tongue in response. Suddenly, voices were heard and the four froze and stared at each other. 

"It's Minako-chan," Makoto said in a low voice. 

"And she's with someone," Ami added. "They're probably at the temple steps." 

A moment of silence passed. 

"Food!" they all suddenly exclaimed in unison as they scrambled to their feet, hurrying towards the temple's main hall. 

The four raced outside but to their utter dismay, they only found Minako standing at the topmost step of the temple stairs with a dreamy look on her face. 

The longhaired blonde, sensing her friends' presence, whirled around and smiled at them. "Hey there, guys." 

"Hey there, yourself," Rei managed to wheeze out in between gasps. 

"So," Makoto said, panting heavily. "Where's _your_ Kunzite-san?" 

"Oh, he left already," the blonde replied. "But, he bought you guys some food." She then lifted the two boxes of pizza on her right hand. "Isn't he nice?" 

"Well, yeah," Usagi said. "Come on, let's eat that thing. I'm staaaaaaaarving." The odango blonde started to walk but Minako's giggle stopped her. "What's so funny?" 

"Nothing," she replied, still giggling. 

Rei, Ami, and Makoto looked at her incredulously. 

"But guys," the longhaired blonde continued. "Is wearing other's shoes the thing today?" 

The four hastily looked down and gasped. 

Usagi is wearing Makoto's school shoes (which is much bigger than her), Makoto is wearing Rei's slippers, Rei is wearing Ami's brown shoes over her miko robes, and Ami is wearing Usagi's shoes. 

Minako snickered. "I didn't know school shoes can look good on a miko robe." 

"We're hungry!!!" the four exclaimed in unison and dragged the laughing blonde inside. 

***** 

Kunzite stifled a yawn as his left hand slowly rubbed his bleary eyes. Settling his pen and his notes on the study table, he gave the clock a brief glance. It says 32 minutes after ten. 

Gently, he rose from his seat and walked towards the window where the inky darkness of the night greeted his sight. "The stars have gone out tonight," he whispered to himself. "Nephrite wouldn't be so happy." He closed his eyes for a moment and the image of Minako eating her ice cream and beaming at him flashed on his mind. 

A smile tugged the corner of his lips. That girl is really quite a charmer, he thought pensively. _Her smile alone could light up even the darkest place on earth._ Kunzite chuckled to himself and to the place where his thoughts are heading. He can't be attracted to a high school girl, can he? 

And besides, the thought of him falling for a girl seven years his junior wasn't such a good idea. He may be accused of being a pervert or worse, a pedophile. And she's a friend of his youngest brother for crying out loud! 

Kunzite slapped his forehead. He must be really stressed out. 

_Who says anything about falling, anyway?_ a voice at the back of his mind suddenly said but Kunzite chose to ignore it. Because, he knew, it would be trouble if he agreed with it. 

A small note haphazardly inserted to one of his books caught his eye. Kunzite's brows furrowed as he walked towards the table and slowly pulled the piece of paper out. He stared at the numbers written on it and recognized it was of his own writing. The fair haired man laughed. 

He remembered sneaking to his brother's room and rummaging in his things just to get those numbers from his phonebook. He didn't know what possessed him that night to do something like that but never again would he repeat it. 

Kunzite then stared at the phone on his night table and then back at the piece of paper in his hand. One phone call wouldn't hurt, would it? Besides, it's just a friendly call. Where's the harm in that? And it's been a week since they saw each other. 

Slowly, he sat on the edge of his bed and lifted the handset from it's cradle. With long and nimble fingers, he dialed the numbers and reminded himself to breathe as he awaited for the other line to answer. 

The phone was ringing but nobody seems to be around so Kunzite decided to put the handset down. Suddenly, he heard a voice huffing and puffing as if trying to catch her breathing. 

_"Moshi-moshi?"_

Kunzite's breath was suddenly caught in his lungs and he immeadiately put the handset back on his ear. 

_"Moshi-moshi? Is anybody there?"_

He softly cleared his throat and let out a sigh of relief. 

The voice on the other line suddenly get irritated. _"Hey, listen here you pervert! I have no time for games--_" 

Kunzite chuckled. "Minako-chan...? It's me." 

_"K...Kunzite-san?"_

(**A/N Extras:** Well, that's it for now. Please review and let me know what you think. ^_^ Until next time! Ja ne!) 


	7. Amichan has a what?

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon doesn't belong to me. I'm just borrowing the characters.

Author's Notes: I'm alive! Finally! After being buried under tons of schoolwork and after suffering from a great deal of writer's block, I have finally risen!

I'm sorry for my long absence. I'll try not to make it THAT long again. I just hope that my muse will not have a long vacation for the second time. ;)

Again, thank you for reading and reviewing. I'm glad somebody appreciates my work. Your reviews really inspire me to write more. Thanks!

**_Chapter Seven: Ami-chan has a what?!_**

Jadeite grinned widely at himself after a familiar figure standing at the gates of Juuban High caught his eyes. _This is my lucky day,_ he said to himself. Swinging his bookbag onto his left shoulder, he walked gaily towards the school exit.

Grumbling moodily, Rei stood at the gates of Juuban High, extremely disappointed that her plans weren't put into actions. "Blast those stupid fans of his. They wouldn't even let me near that stupid message board!" she whispered exasperatedly.

The miko planned to have her revenge (through the message board, of course) but Jadeite's followers were guarding it like it was the most priceless treasure on earth! And on top of that, they looked like they were ready to tackle her any moment. She just decided to go outside and wait for her friends instead. Those girls really need a life, she mused to herself.

The world stopped moving, literally, when she stepped on the campus grounds a while ago. Members of the football club stopped practicing just to look at her, while the girls on the corridors stopped chatting just to stare and glare at her.

Rei raised her chin defiantly. Things like that would not move her easily anyway. After all, she is Sailor Mars. She could burn the whole building down, for all she care, if she wanted to. And... if the other senshis allowed her to do so, that is.

_"Rei-chan,"_ came in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Rei sighed inwardly. She knew that voice. She knew it very well. _Of all the people you could bump into..._

"What a fortunate day for us to be visited by her royal highness!" Jadeite said, grinning widely at her. "May I have the pleasure of kissing your hand?" He then bowed and extended his hand.

She scowled at him. "Leave me alone."

He chuckled, straightening up. "Ooh, the princess is not in a good disposition! May I ask why?"

Rei just ignored him and glanced at the building's entrance. _"What's taking them so long? It's already past the time of dismissal."_ she whispered to herself. _"If they didn't show up before this jerk decided to leave, I swear I'm gonna toast him alive until he wished he never been reborn at all._"

"What was that?" Jadeite suddenly asked, staring inquisitively at her.

She gave him a puzzled look. "What?"

"I heard you said something. What was that again?"

The miko rolled her eyes and then smiled sarcastically at him. "I said you're so cute I almost find it... nauseating."

"Why, thank you."

"You're more than welcome."

A group of girls passed by and Jadeite, to the miko's repugnance, didn't waste any moment to display his manly charms and appeal. Rei flipped her hair and then crossed her arms on her chest. He reminded her of those guys at Moto Azabu, an all-boys school beside theirs, who probably think that they could get any girl they want just by looks alone. And damn those girls at her school. They are really living up to those boys' expectations. _My, him and those conceited jerks._

"Say girls, wanna go to the arcade with me on Friday after class?" Jadeite said cheerfully as he approach them, leaving Rei momentarily. "My treat."

"That's so really nice of you, Jadeite-kun," said the leader, beaming brightly. "We'd love to."

"Ugh, those girls are no different from those at TA," Rei muttered to herself.

"That's great!" he replied. "It's Friday then."

A girl suddenly noticed Rei and immediately beckoned their leader to look at the miko's direction. Everybody in Juuban High knew of the blonde guy's intentions for her and it's a common knowledge that Hino Rei is one of Kino Makoto's, the strongest girl in this side of Juuban district, friends. And, friends of Kino Makoto shouldn't be trifled with for they will surely be going home with either a black eye or a broken bone, courtesy of the tall brunette of course.

Rei, on the other hand, pretended not to notice the covert glances being cast upon her and proceeded to study her perfectly manicured nails. After all, she's not even aware what are they staring for anyway.

"Umm, I'm sorry but I think we already have something to do this Friday," the girl said. She looked at her friends for approval and they reluctantly nodded.

Jadeite sported a hurt and pleading look. "But why? I thought... nevermind." He then smiled as if nothing happened. "Alright."

The group hastily bid him farewell and proceeded to leave. But, before that, they didn't even forget to cast their death glares at the miko's direction. Rei just shrugged her shoulders and just smiled mockingly at them. Why'd she do that? She doesn't even know. The look of defeat and insecurity on those girls' faces was so _funny_ she can't help but laugh.

Jadeite turned at her, raising his brow at the smirk plastered on her face. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," she replied and faked a sweet smile for him. "Congratulations by the way, for being dumped by-"

Jadeite clucked his tongue and shook his head. "You really hate me that much, don't you?" he said with a tinge of seriousness in his voice.

"Well you started it," she retorted. "And what's with that stupid message of yours in the message board, huh? Are you mocking me?"

The blonde guy's lips curled into a smile with Rei's sudden reference of the topic. "So, you've read it."

"Of course, I had. Who hasn't?" Rei bit out. "I'll be damned before that ever happen!"

"Listen here, oh great one," Jadeite said, staring directly at her amethyst eyes. "Technically, you're the one who _really_ started it, writing some moronic statement on that board about me pissing on my pyjamas. You even had the audacity to sign your name."

She rolled her eyes again. "If you hadn't annoyed me the day before, I wouldn't have to write it in the first place."

He raised a brow. "Are you telling me that you would be _more_ cordial if..."

"Hah, you wished!" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I thought so," he replied, sighing. Then, to Rei's confusion, he suddenly flashed one of his killer smiles. "But to tell you frankly Rei-chan, I'm really serious 'bout that 'girlfriend thing.'"

"Well, good luck to you," she said mockingly, stopping the urge to hit and strangle him.

Jadeite grinned. "I'm going to make you like me, this I swear."

"Like, that would ever happen."

"Oh, I bet it will."

"I bet it won't."

"Let's just wait and see."

And then Jadeite winked at her... to the raven-haired miko's annoyance.

"The problem with you, Ami-chan, is that you're taking this whole 'competition thing' waaaaay too seriously," Makoto said, slamming the shoe locker door with much force than intended.

Ami winced at the sound and frowned. "Who says I'm taking this seriously?"

"We do!" Usagi blurted out, raising her hand in emphasis.

The blue-haired girl furrowed her brows and stared inquisitively at the two.

"Minako-chan, in one of her sugar-high moments, told us that you were asking what Zoi-kun's scores in our pop quizzes were," the brunette replied with a wicked gleam in her eyes. "Comparing scores, Ami-chan? Vanity can kill, you know."

Ami rolled her eyes and then massaged her temples. "I'm not comparing," she replied. "And that was not vanity. I was merely curious."

"But why the curiosity?" the odango blonde asked as she fit her left shoe on her right foot. And then she snapped her fingers, unmindful of the wrong shoe. "Oh, I get it. You like him, don't you?"

"What?!" she exclaimed and swung her head abruptly it hurt her neck. "Owww," she whimpered and carefully rubbed her fingers on it.

Usagi snickered. "Haha, Ami-chan got a broken neck and only Zoisite's love can heal it."

Ami just ignored the blonde's teasing and just shook her head. "Why do everytime I show mere curiosity with someone, all of you ended up concluding that I like him?"

"Because..." Makoto grinned and folded her arms across her chest. "...you do not have the time to be 'interested' in something other than your books."

"Uh-huh," Usagi seconded.

"Yeah right," she replied with a mild sarcasm, making a face.

The brunette chuckled. "And we're really, really happy for you 'coz you're finally having a life!"

Ami placed her hands on her hips and glared jokingly at the brunette. "Are you saying that I don't have a life?"

"Not really," she replied, smiling sheepishly.

"Hey guys, Rei-chan's at the gate," Usagi suddenly said. "We'll be toasted if we keep her waiting."

"Yeah," Makoto agreed. "Let's go."

"Just a minute," Ami said and hastily opened her shoe locker. "I forgot I have to change my--" She suddenly froze and her eyes widened in surprise.

The two stared at each other, wondering at their friend's peculiar reaction. Usagi tapped her at the shoulder.

"What's the matter, Ami-chan," the blonde said. "Found a snake in there?"

"There's a flower in my locker," Ami said as if she's in a trance.

"What?" the two asked in unison.

"There's a flower in my locker," she repeated.

"Hey, Ami-chan made a nursery rhyme!" Usagi said stupidly. "There's a flower in my locker!"

The brunette frowned at the blonde and furrowed her brows. "Let me see that."

Makoto peered behind Ami's shoulder and then grinned teasingly at what she saw. "Oh wow, I didn't know that Ami-chan has a secret admirer." Then, she turned at her friend. "Any idea who's it from?"

Ami shook her head and then pulled the flower, a blue tulip, out. "I have no idea," she said. "I'm just glad it's not a love letter or else I'll be having some rashes."

"So, what are you planning to do with that?" Usagi asked rather mischievously.

She brought the tulip on her nose and inhaled its scent. "I guess I'll just keep this," she replied. "Whoever this person is, he sure knows my favorite color."

"How original," the brunette commented with mock sarcasm. Her friends stared inquisitively at her. She chuckled. "The flower in the locker stuff, I mean. It's like the ones I saw in teen movies.

"What's up guys?" a cheerful male voice suddenly said behind them and Ami almost dropped the flower because of shock.

"Hey, Zoi-kun!" Usagi exclaimed. "Going home?"

"Yup," he replied with a nod. He then inclined his head and saw the blue tulip in Ami's hand. "Hey, nice flower. Who is it from?"

"We actually don't know," Makoto replied.

"It's from Ami-chan's secret lover," the odango blonde said in a hushed voice.

"Really?" he said and then stared at Ami with a smile. "It suits you."

Ami smiled timidly. Then, for a moment, a thought suddenly crossed her mind but abruptly dismissed it. Why would he ask who's it from if he's the one who gave it to her? She mentally berated herself for even thinking of that possibility. He wouldn't even waste his time on her. _Wishful thinking, Mizuno._

And, to think that she actually _hoped_ that it was from him was very unlikely of her at all. _I must be getting nuts!_

With a fair amount of annoyance written on her face, she changed her shoes and carefully placed the flower inside her bag.

"Uhm, I just remembered that I have to er... attend the meeting of the Cooking Club," Makoto blurted out all of a sudden. Usagi gave her a dubious look.

"But I thought-- heey!"

The blonde's words were cut off when the tall brunette suddenly jerked her arm and pulled her outside.

"Come, Usagi-chan," Mako said as she dragged the unwilling odango blonde away. "I'll teach you how to bake a cake."

"But..."

"We'll going to have lots of fun," she said, giving Usagi a conspiring wink. "Trust me."

Usagi stared innocently at her and the tall brunette wiggled her brows at Ami and Zoisite's direction. A big, big smile slowly formed at the odango blonde's lips when realization finally dawned upon her. Makoto sighed audibly with relief, disregarding the idea to tie and drag Usagi away from the unknowing couple.

"Well, see you at the gates, Ami-chan," Usagi said with a wide grin, looking definitely obvious. "Bye, Zoisite-kun. Take care of our friend."

Makoto bit her lip and hit her forehead. "Usagi-chan..." she muttered under her breath. "Can we go now?"

"Oh, yeah of course." The odango blonde beamed brightly before hauling her tall friend away.

Unbeknownst to the two, Ami was making a mental note to herself to scold them for leaving her on purpose. Why does it always seem that they are literally throwing him at her feet? Don't they even care about how she feels?

Ami abruptly frowned at the thought. Lately, her friends are getting desperate to hook her with a guy to the point that even their former enemy is considered. And, it seems that her friends, on the other hand, were unmindful of the idea of them falling for the guys who tried to destroy the world and kill them.

Minako blatantly admits that she likes _Kunzite-san_ and nothing on earth could stop her from having a crush on him. Rei, who shows a good amount of dislike over the shitennou, pretends that she's not listening (even though she doesn't want to admit it) whenever the word _senpai_ is mentioned during study dates. Makoto, well, she at least shows some interests whenever their former enemies are being discussed especially the brown-haired general.

And, that leaves her with Zoisite.

Is it possible that it was merely coincidence that each senshi is paired off with a former shitennou?

She guessed not. Being the rational and logical person that she is, Ami was pretty sure that something big is behind all of these. And she's determined to find what prompted this thing to do something so... ghastly like this.

Because, as Setsuna puts it, nothing happens merely by coincidence. Everything happens for a reason.

_Everything._

_Speaking of Setsuna-san, maybe I should pay her a visit,_ Ami thought. Or... maybe her friends knew something that she's not aware of and the older senshi was the one who told them about it. Whatever it is, the thought of being left behind is enough to fuel her determination. Plus, her unmistakably growing "curiosity" (because the term 'affection' or 'admiration' is too much for her) towards the blond guy adds up to it.

Ami turned and made a grab at the locker door to close it but she didn't notice that Zoisite was already beside her. Her hand flew towards the books that the boy was holding, causing them to fall on the floor.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she hastily said, bending over to pick the books up.

"It's okay," Zoisite replied. He also bent over, in time with Ami; and in doing so, their heads smacked with each other.

"Ouch," she moaned in pain as she carefully ran her fingers on her reddened forehead.

"Ow," Zoisite muttered, overlapping Ami's cry of pain. He immediately held her hand and helped her up. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you're going to pick it up, too," he said, still holding on his throbbing temple.

Ami shook her head. "No, it's my fault. I made you drop your books." She them glanced at her hand which was still enveloped by Zoisite's bigger one. She suddenly felt warmth spreading on her cheeks.

Noticing where the petite girl was staring at, he hastily let go and smiled apologetically. "Does it still hurt?" he asked instead.

She nodded absentmindedly, trying hard to conceal her burning cheeks. "A little."

"May I see it?"

But before she could say something coherent, Zoisite was already tilting her chin and examining the lump on her forehead. His face was so close that Ami could almost feel his breathing and his simple touch was sending shivers down her spine. _Relax. Breathe, inhale... exhale._

He gingerly touched the affected area and Ami gasped at the contact. Though, she doesn't quite know whether it's from the pain or from something else...

"I think we should go to the clinic," he said. He then carefully let go of her chin and stepped back. "Maybe they have something to relieve the pain or..." Noticing the blush on her cheeks, Zoisite tilted his head and eyed her curiously. "Are you alright? Your face is so red. Does it hurt that much?"

"I'm fine," she replied, giving him a reassuring smile. "How about you? You got hit, too, don't you?"

Zoisite chuckled. "Don't worry 'bout me. My head is as thick as a brick," he said, tapping his head.

"No wonder my forehead hurts." Ami giggled silently and then glanced at him.

He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and then stared at her wordlessly. This time, with a look of worry on his face.

"Come, I'll take you there," he suddenly said, grabbing her hand.

Ami furrowed her brows. "Take me where?" she asked as the blond guy practically dragged her.

"To the nurse's clinic, of course."

"But I think it's already closed. I've heard the school nurse went home early because of some sort of emergency."

Zoisite halted. The blue-haired girl stopped immediately to prevent herself from bumping into his back.

"Uhm Zoisite-kun... can you let go of my hand now?" she said almost breathlessly.

Zoisite didn't respond nor released her hand. Instead, he dragged her towards the campus grounds... to where half of the athletic clubs are having their practice.

_Gods, if his admirers see me, with him, holding his hand... I'll be dead meat!_ she thought frantically.

"We have to stop the reddening of your head," he said. "If Mako-chan sees it, she'll beat me into pulps."

"That's not necessary," she said with haste. "I'll tell her it's not your fault... well, actually, it was not really your fault since it was an accident and accidents happen without anyone's fault..." Ami groaned inwardly. She was blabbering. And, how many times did she mention the word 'fault' anyway?

"Zoisite-kun, I do appreciate your concern," she continued when he didn't respond. "But I'm fine now. Really."

They continued to walk, with Ami still persuading him to stop, until they reached the drinking fountains. Zoisite freed her hand from his grasp and reached for his white handkerchief on his right pocket. He turned the faucet on and let the water ran in it. Squeezing the excess liquid out, he then turned the faucet off.

"Here," he said, handing the wet cloth to her. "Put this in your head and the pain will gradually go away."

Ami reluctantly took the hanky and placed it in her forehead. It helped alleviate the sting somehow, making her a bit comfortable. "Thanks," she whispered gratefully.

"No prob," he replied, chuckling.

Noticing that he was laughing silently, she turned her head and stared at him. "May I ask what's so funny?"

Zoisite shook his head. "Nothing," he answered, grinning at her. "It's just that... I didn't know that you could talk faster than Minako-chan."

Ami suddenly blushed to the roots of her hair at his response. She then looked at the ground, avoiding eye contact. "I didn't know that, too."

She just heard him laugh.

"Come on, Mizuno-san," he then said with a smile. "It's getting late."

Ami nodded and smiled at him. They then walked towards the school gates.

Makoto rolled her eyes and shook her head hopelessly at the bickering couple beside her. They've been doing that since she and Usagi got there and she didn't know for how long the two were together.

"Will you lower it down a tad?" the brunette said. "I'm afraid I'm going to be deaf because of both of you."

"Why don't you tell your _beloved_ senpai to shut up?" Rei snapped. "He's the one who started it."

"Did not," Jadeite countered with a chuckle. "I just came to her to say hello and then she started harassing me."

"Harassing you?! My foot! What an arrogant jerk you are!"

Usagi giggled none to softly. "Why don't you marry each other? You sure fight like a married couple."

Rei scowled at the odango blonde. "Why don't you marry him yourself?"

"I can't," she replied, giving the dark haired miko a sly smile. "I already have my Mamo-chan. Besides, you look good together."

"See Rei-chan? I told you it's not a bad idea," the blond guy agreed, grinning widely. "We'll make a striking couple."

"In your dreams."

Makoto sweat-dropped and shook her head. "Where's Minako-chan?" she asked instead. "Practice is over and still I haven't seen her."

Usagi folded her arms across her chest. "She's not going home with us today," she said. "She told me during class that a guy called her last night and asked her on a date after school."

The brunette raised a brow.

"I didn't know that Minako-chan has a boyfriend," Rei said, voicing out Makoto's thoughts. "How come she didn't mention anything to us?"

The odango blonde just shrugged her shoulders.

"Any idea who could this guy might be?" Makoto asked.

"I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine."

The tall brunette scoffed. "What is this? Some sort of a trend? Ami has a secret admirer and then Minako-chan is dating a guy secretly."

"Ami-chan has a what?" Rei suddenly asked with disbelief.

"A secret admirer," Usagi provided. "We just discovered a while ago. She found a blue tulip in her shoe locker. Isn't that nice?"

Rei smiled thoughtfully, feeling happy for her shy friend. "Not quite an original idea, though," she then commented. "Where is she?"

"Oh we just left her with Zoisite," the blonde replied nonchalantly.

"It seems that _all_ of your friends are having quite a blessing with the matters of the heart, Mako-chan," Jadeite said lightly. Rei shot him a menacing look and he just pretended to ignore the raven-haired girl. "How about you? Do you have some things to share?"

Makoto snorted. "I'm very much available but extremely not interested with men..."

"Not interested?"

She grinned. "As of the moment," she added hastily. "I have lots of things on my mind lately. For now, I'll just wait for the right guy. As the saying goes, love comes to those who wait. If he's the right one for me, he'll find me."

Jadeite chuckled softly. "You're reading too much paperback novels, aren't you?" He shook his head. "Waiting for the right person is not enough. You should look for him too. That's love... much like one of Newton's Laws of Motion: There's a reaction in every action."

Rei snorted. "Don't preach as if you knew everything about love," she said with a hint of sarcasm. "What do you know about it anyway?"

He turned to her. "Why don't you try me and see for yourself, hmm?"

He just received a scowl in return.

"Scared?" Jadeite said in a mocking tone.

Rei glared at him. "Of what? A jerk like you? No way!"

For the second time that afternoon, Makoto sweatdropped, shaking his head hopelessly; while Usagi, on the other hand, seems to enjoy the "interaction" between her friend and her senpai. Then, a mischievous grin spread across the odango blonde's face.

"Ne Mako-chan," she said in a hushed tone, elbowing the brunette beside her. "Do you think Jadeite-senpai would succeed in his... uhm, plan?"

Makoto raised a brow at her. "What, making Rei-chan his girlfriend? I don't think so," she replied almost in a whisper. "Our friend here loathes the very idea of it."

"I have this feeling that somehow, Senpai will be able to convince her."

"What makes you think so?"

Usagi shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe, it's my princess instincts."

The tall brunette snorted. "Princess instincts," she repeated with a chuckle. She then stared at her with a sly smile. "What are you getting at, Usagi-chan?"

"Let's make a bet. Whoever wins gets a big chocolate parfait at Crown.... no, make that two chocolate parfaits." She closed her eyes, imagining that the sweet concoction was right before her. "Hmmm, chocolate..."

Makoto laughed inwardly at the idea of them betting on their friend's lovelife. It is ridiculous but funny nonetheless. "Alright," she replied, smiling.

Usagi beamed brightly. "Hino Rei is going to be Senpai's girlfriend."

"She's not," Makoto said. "Or I'll lose."

"Whoever wins will get two chocolate parfait." The blonde extended her right hand. "Deal?"

Makoto took and shook it. "Deal."

At the corner of her eyes, Rei noticed her friends snickering while shaking their hands like it's the only thing that they could do and that they were really happy about it. "Hey, what's funny?" she asked suspiciously, her arms folded across her chest. "And what's with the handshaking thing?"

Usagi smothered a laugh and abruptly dropped Makoto's hand. "Nothing." Rei shot her an "I'm-not-buying-that" look to which she replied with a very sweet smile. She then saw a very baffled Ami with Zoisite on her side, probably wondering why the "club meeting" ended too soon; and her sweet smile, if anything, turned into a sheepish grin.

.

..

...

Ami sighed in frustration and let her head fall into the study table. No matter how hard she tries, she still can't concentrate on her homework. This is really getting to her. Normally, she finds pleasure and enjoyment in solving mathematical problems at home or writing a 15-page science report but in the past few days, her mind had simply, well, developed a "mind of its own."

"Hey brain, why don't you function properly like you always do?" she said aloud. "Come on, that's your job!"

Groaning, she rested her head on top of her books and closed her eyes. _I guess Usagi-chan doesn't mind when she experience something like this,_ she thought, laughing silently. Well, she must admit, she envied her friend sometimes. She has this child-like innocence that didn't change over the years. She then opened her eyes and straightened up, focusing once more on the mathematical equation before her.

It's not that she can't solve them. It's just can't find the _will_ to start solving them. Her fingers were lifeless and she can't even lift her pen for goodness' sake! It is as if a youma sucked all her energy up including her precious brain cells.

"I know," she said to herself. "I'll just study for next week's exam."

Just as she was about to reach for her book, the phone rang on her desk with a reverberating wail. Sighing inwardly, she didn't even know whether to feel relieved or annoyed. Picking the handset up, she said, "Moshi-moshi?"

_"Hey Ami-chan,"_ the voice on the other end of the line said. _"It's me, the goddess of love."_

Ami chuckled. "And what does the goddess of love need from a lowly human being, such as I?"

Minako laughed her trademark laugh. _"Nothing. Just want to ask if I could borrow the book that Mako-chan was talking about the other day."_

"What book?" she asked, furrowing her brows slightly.

_"You know, the one that you got from your secret admirer."_

"Oh, _that_ book."

Minako giggled. _"Yeah, that one."_

Ami smiled. "Of course. I'm glad to know you have taken a break from your mangas and decided to read a book instead."

_"Mako-chan swore that it is good and worth reading and I have to prove to Rei-chan and Usagi-chan that I can finish reading a novel if I wanted to."_

"Alright, I'll just bring it tomorrow."

_"Okay, thanks a lot,"_ the blonde said with a squeal. _"Ami-chan..."_

"Yeah?"

_"Do you still have no idea who this guy is?"_

"I'm afraid I don't," she replied. "I try not to let it bother me though."

_"Just hope that he won't give you a love letter next time or else..."_

"I might get some rashes all over my body."

And then they both shared a laugh.

_"Well, see you tomorrow, friend,"_ Minako said. _"Don't forget the book."_

She giggled silently. "Don't worry, I won't. Bye!"

The blonde then bid her good night and hung up.

Ami slowly got up and went towards her huge book cabinet that rivaled a shelf in a bookstore. Standing in a small ladder, she carefully took the book from the top shelf and then walked back to her desk.

_The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks,_ she read quietly as she sat down. When she first saw it sitting on top of her table at school that morning, she thought somebody had just left it there. But classes had finally ended for the day and still, nobody claimed to be its owner.

During lunchbreak, Makoto reprimanded her for not eating and she couldn't help it. The book was really good and she couldn't quite believe that this certain _admirer_ of hers appreciates something like that. He must be one heck of a guy.

From then on, she received several notes written with lines from poems and some flowers, too. But she didn't receive anything that reveals something about this mysterious guy. There were no signatures, no marks. He didn't even put Ami's name on them. He would just place them where she could see them. And most of the time, they were on her shoe locker.

For the second time, she thought that maybe it was _him_. It would take someone like Zoisite to appreciate these things but as she had discovered and surmised, he arrives thirty minutes after she does at school everyday and he wouldn't be interested in a girl like her. Even though they have some things in common, there are still worlds apart.

For her, she's the type of girl you wouldn't even dare a second glance.

Ami rolled her eyes. _Why would I have this sort of admirer if I don't deserve a second glance?_ a part of her asked.

If her friends were just with her, she could almost hear them say: "It's because he sees something special in you that other ordinary people do not."

Her friends, you really got to love them.

A sudden knock on the door startled her and she saw her mother peered from it.

"Ami-chan?" Dr. Mizuno called out.

"Yes mom?"

The doctor entered her room and held out a white handkerchief to her. "Does this belong to you? I just found it at the living room."

"Oh," she said softly as she took it from her mother's hand. "Thanks."

Dr. Mizuno smiled and patted her head. "I didn't know you like white hankies. I always thought you preferred the blue ones."

Ami smiled meekly and blushed. "Actually it's not mine. My schoolmate and I bumped our heads and he let me borrow this. I told him it's not really necessary but he insisted."

Her mother's smile widened and gave her a teasing look. "Oh my, you're blushing! You like this guy, don't you?"

"Mom!" she exclaimed, her face reddening. "Of course not. He's just a... friend."

"Don't give me that crap, honey," Dr. Mizuno said with a chuckle. "You do know that you can't lie to your mother, don't you?"

Ami rolled her eyes and made a face. "He's just a friend, mom. And he already has someone he likes." She didn't really know whether it's true or not but nevermind that, she just had to say it for her mother to stop teasing her.

"That's very disappointing," she said with a frown. "Anyway, just promise me you'll tell me when you already have this special someone of yours." And then she winked at her.

She shook her head hopelessly. "Alright, I promise," she said with resignation.

"Well, good night my little princess," Dr. Mizuno said as she gave her a hug and kissed the top of her head. "Don't stay up too late."

She smiled and nodded. Her mother left and slowly closed the door behind her.

Ami eased her back on her chair and stared at the piece of cloth on her hand. She's been wanting to return it to Zoisite but she can't seem to find the courage to do so. And besides, she rarely saw him at school because he's always busy with other things.

Why does a simple task such as this proves to be very difficult?

"I'm the one who's making it difficult." she said to herself.

She stood up and started to fix her things and clear her desk. Suddenly, she remembered that when she shook hands with him, she saw her self - her princess self - speaking before a huge crowd. And he was there. Not to kill her or anything, but he was there just to watch her. And why was he looking at her like _that_, anyway? There was something in his eyes that she couldn't quite explain.

She didn't tell any of her friends about that and she had forgotten about it until now. Now that she think about it, she really have to see Setsuna or the cats and ask them what is that all about. And certainly, she wasn't the one who experienced that thing. Maybe her friends saw them too and they were just as confused and puzzled as she was.

Well, her mind really had wandered off far from her homework. Ami let out a sigh and decided that she'll just finish them at school tomorrow before the class starts. She wouldn't be able to do them tonight, anyway.

Makoto stifled a yawn as she tried to rub the sleep off her eyes. She woke up really early that morning and decided to leave to see how her plants at the school garden are doing. She was really excited to see how much they have grown especially the strawberries that she had planted two weeks ago.

Stepping inside the building, she headed to the shoe lockers to change her shoes when something or rather, someone caught her eye. She hid behind a column and watched as the guy put something inside her friend's locker. He wasn't exactly the type that they had expected but Ami would be thrilled to know who this mysterious guy is. Not to mention her other friends, too.

She waited patiently for the guy to be finished and she held her breath as she saw him closed the locker and walked towards her direction. When he passed her by unnoticed, Makoto, in one fluid motion, grabbed him at the back and turned him around. Fear was obviously written in the guy's eyes when he met with her green ones.

The tall brunette smiled menacingly. "So you're the one who's been putting things at Ami-chan's locker," she whispered dangerously as she clutched him by the collar.

(**A/N Extras:** The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks was really good. It almost made me cry (shucks!). Anyway, please review! Thanks! Till next time. Ja ne!)


	8. Caught

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is property of Naoko Takeuchi 

**_Chapter Eight: Caught_**

"S-senpai," the guy whimpered as Makoto still clutched him by his collar. 

She smirked and slowly let go of him. "Kageyasu Masaki of First Year class 2, correct?" she asked as she eyed him with indifference. 

Masaki nodded apprehensively. He slowly straightened himself up and then started to walk away. 

She clucked her tongue and shook her head. "Do you think I'd let go of you that easily...?" 

He stopped dead in his tracks. 

Makoto chuckled at the sight of the boy trembling with fear. Sometimes, being feared by most of her schoolmates has its own advantage but most of the time, she finds it very annoying. "Now," she continued. "It would be nice if you would just turn around... yes that's it, ...and come a little closer so I can hit you." 

Masaki gulped and covered his face with his book bag as he came closer. The tall brunette burst out laughing and then wiped the tears that started to build up at the corner of her eyes. The boy lowered his bag and stared at her with a slight irritation. 

"Kino-senpai," he said, unsure. "I would really appreciate if you would just stop laughing at me. Spare me some dignity, will you?" 

She hastily complied and smiled apologetically. "Of course," she replied. She then crossed her arms on her chest. "You freshmen are really terrified of me, aren't you?" The boy just stared at her. "Nope, don't answer that. I already knew. Anyway, I was just kidding about hitting you. I'm not that stupid to pick up a fight inside the campus. And contrary to popular belief, I'm not that violent." 

Again, he just stared at her as if she's a fire-breathing dragon. 

"Masaki-kun," she said when he didn't say anything. "Are you really serious about her? I mean, about Ami-chan?" 

"H-hai!" came the reply. 

Makoto raised a brow and then scratched her chin. She coaxed him to look at him but she only got a short nervous glance in return. The tall brunette went closer and circled him. 

"Why do I have this feeling that you're keeping something from me, hmm?" she said in a singsong voice. 

Masaki wiped the bead of perspiration off his forehead. "I... actually, well... I really must be going." 

"Not so fast," she said, grabbing him in the shoulder. "Go on. You were saying something?" 

The guys gave him a withering look. "Senpai..." he said pleadingly. Makoto let go of him and crossed her arms on her chest for the second time. He saw her inclined her head, waiting impatiently for his response. He sighed. "I'm not really... I mean, I-" 

"My patience was really wearing thin, you know," she said as she drummed her fingers on her arm. She heard him muttered something incoherently under his breath, "What was that?" 

"I really don't know how to say this but I... I really don't like her," he said in almost a whisper. "Not that I don't like her as a person. I admire her, I really do. But I don't like her as my... girlfriend." He shielded his bag on his face, again, afraid that Makoto might punch him. 

"What?" 

"I'm sorry." 

"Sorry?" 

Images of Ami showing them the gifts she got and how she tried to hide her anticipation whenever she opened her shoe locker flooded her vision. Makoto grabbed him in his collar and raised her fist in mid-air, almost a few inches away from his face. 

"If you didn't like her then why are you giving those things to her?!" she snapped, control just went out of the window, 

"Senpai, it's not what you think!" he said frantically. "Please don't hit me!" 

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't." 

"Please," he pleaded. "Listen, somebody just ordered me to put those things on her locker. He's the one who really likes her, not me. I'm just following his orders. Trust me, please. I'm not doing this just to fool her." 

"Then who is this guy?" Makoto bit out. 

"I can't tell you," he replied, his body trembling. "He'll... he'll make sure I'll be expelled from school once I tell his secret." 

"Don't pull my leg, you jerk! What do you take me for, a fool?" 

"I'm telling the truth!" 

"Are you telling me that one of the professors is in love with Ami-chan?" she asked, rather confused. The mere thought of it was making her sick. Half of the school faculty was male and most of them were old enough to tell the whole history of Ancient Egypt by firsthand experience. Makoto shuddered. 

"No, it's not like that." 

"Then whoitwas?!" 

"Please Kino-senpai, don't make me say it," he begged. "He'll know." 

She gritted her teeth. Who could possibly have so much of an influence other than the professors? This is not really making any sense at all. 

"H-he's just a student," he went on in a hushed voice. "He's in second year, just like you and Mizuno-senpai." 

"Nani? A student?" 

"Mako-chan? What are you doing?" 

Makoto abruptly swung her head at the sound of Ami's voice and saw her standing and staring curiously at them. She quickly let him go and grinned at her direction. 

"I'm just fixing his uniform. See?" she said as she straightened up Masaki's blazer. She gave him an ominous look that sent the poor guy scampering to his feet and disappearing from their line of sight. 

"Isn't he Kageyasu-kun?" Ami asked as she approached the disgruntled brunette. 

"Yes he is," she replied, looking surprised "You knew him?" 

"Well, yes," her friend replied. "He's a member of the Computer Club. He was always present during meetings and workshops but until a week ago, he started to lie-low. I didn't know what happened to him but he looked like as if he's afraid to step inside the computer room. Strange guy." 

"He certainly is," Makoto said absentmindedly. "Maybe he saw the ghost of the computer hacker." 

"Programmer," the blue-haired girl amended with a giggle. 

"Whatever." 

Ami stifled a laugh. "Everybody knows that we just made that up. There is no ghost," she said. "So anyway, what's his business with you?" 

The tall brunette cleared her throat and smiled at her. "Nothing really. He just almost knocked me off and he was apologizing when you saw us." 

"Nice try, Mako-chan, but I'm not buying that one," she said lightly. "Well, I just hope you didn't scare the living daylights out of him." 

Makoto grinned mischievously. "I hope so, too."

* * *

"You actually caught him?" Rei said with disbelief, the chocolate cookie falling from her mouth. "You're kidding, right?" 

The tall brunette rolled her eyes. "Do I look like I'm kidding?" she asked, pointing at herself. And then she smirked. "You might want to close that pretty little mouth of yours, Rei-chan. You don't want a fly making its way to your intestines now, do you?" 

Rei abruptly closed her mouth and then stared at the sliding door in her room. "That guy must be terrified to death." 

Makoto chuckled. "You bet." 

"Did Ami-chan know anything about this?" 

"No," she replied. "But I'm really wondering who's the real guy behind all these. I mean, he would go all the trouble just to give those gifts to her. And he must be some kind of a guy, making Kageyasu-kun really terrified of him and having the power to expel him from school." 

Rei furrowed a brow. "Maybe he's one of the school bullies? Or maybe he's the son of the principal?" 

Makoto shook her head. "Masaki said that he's also in second year and there are only three notorious guys in other classes, two of them have girlfriends and the other has a crush on Usagi. Plus, the principal doesn't have a son. He has a daughter, a college student at Tokyo University." 

Rei laughed softly. "Wow, you really did some research." 

Makoto just shrugged her shoulders and grinned. She then took a sip from her tea and then glanced at the blonde lying flat on her stomach in the miko's bed. "I can't believe Minako-chan is actually reading a book!" 

The raven-haired miko snickered. "Yeah. And it's not even raining," she seconded. 

The two giggled in unison until a derisive snort interrupted them. 

"Don't you have other things to do than tease me?" the blonde said unemotionally without tearing her gaze from the book in her hands. "Why don't you start studying for a change?" 

"Unfortunately, my dear moody princess with-a-perpetually-red-bow-on-her-head," Makoto said, snickering. "Ami-chan is not yet here. Studying starts when Ms. 100% Brain Activity arrives. Okay?" 

Rei choked on her tea. "Ms. 100% Brain Activity? That's new. Where did you get that?" 

"Ami-chan said that we humans only use 10% of our brain until the day we die," the brunette explained. "And since Ami-chan is so smart with all those stuff and being you know, Sailor Mercury," at that she lowered her voice, "I assumed that she must have been using a hundred percent." 

"Oh wow, I didn't know that," the miko said. "If ordinary people like us uses only 10 percent, I guess Usagi-chan uses only about... 3 percent?" 

"I heard that." 

Usagi stood at the doorframe, glowering at Rei. The miko just stuck her tongue out. 

"Hey Usagi-chan, it took you forever to use the bathroom," Makoto said as the odango blonde made her way towards them and plopped herself beside her. The tall brunette grabbed some potato chips and chewed silently as she watched Usagi gobbled up the cookies that she made. 

"Maybe she got lost," Rei muttered innocently as she sipped her tea. 

"Yeah, I got lost and Rei-chan is at the peak of her menopausal stage," Usagi said sarcastically. 

Makoto bit back her laughter, finding the urge not to lose the contents of her mouth at Usagi's remark. Those two will never gonna grow up, she mused to herself. 

"So Minako-chan," Usagi said after making a face on Rei, "aren't you gonna tell us who's the mysterious beau that you've been dating? We can't wait forever, you know." 

"Well, I'm sorry I won't tell you," Minako replied, glancing momentarily at them. "You might jinx it." 

The odango blonde pouted. "Hey, it's not fair!" 

Minako just smiled sweetly and then resumed her reading. 

"You know, I had this really weird vision this morning," Rei suddenly said, staring thoughtfully at the bowl of cookies. "When I was meditating by the sacred fire..." 

"All of your visions were weird," Minako interrupted. The miko threw her a pillow which the blonde dodged easily (despite the fact that she was sprawled on the bed). The blonde started laughing hysterically, unmindful whether it was from the miko's annoyance or her _perfect_ aim. 

"Shut up," Rei growled. "Have you forgotten that those visions were important? They revealed something about the future or about our would-be enemies." 

"Yeah," Usagi agreed with sarcasm. "They're so damn important you kept on hogging them for yourself until either one of us was injured, kidnapped, or dead." 

"The only reason I did that, for you information, was to keep you from worrying too much," she replied, staring indignantly at the odango blonde. "We all know how stupid you can be when you're worried." 

"Heey!" 

Minako suddenly shot up from the bed and gave her an alarmed look. "It was not about the shitennou... was it?" she asked slowly, afraid of the idea that they would be fighting with them again. Especially now that everything seemed _perfect_. 

"Don't fret your little head, darling. It's not," the miko answered. 

The longhaired blonde sighed audibly with relief. "Thank heavens!" And then she giggled dreamily. 

Rei raised a brow at her, then shook her head hopelessly. "Anyway, this one's different. I never had something like this before." 

"Well, how did it differ from the others?" Makoto asked with an inquiring glance. 

Rei tucked some stray strands on one ear and paused. "It wasn't about the future or anything and it didn't include all the senshi," she then said. "The images came so fast I didn't know where it began or ended. All I remember is that I saw a ring, a bloodied dagger in my hand, and a dead man lying before my eyes." 

"A dead... man?" Usagi asked as if she was going to be sick. 

The tall brunette scratched her chin, furrowing her brows. "Do you think you're the one who killed this person?" 

The miko shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know." 

"Maybe he stole that ring from you and you wanted it back that's why you killed him," Minako said with conviction. Rei shot her a dubious look. 

Makoto scoffed. "Rei-chan wouldn't do anything like that." 

The longhaired blonde pouted. "But that's the only plausible reason that I could think of." 

"I agree," Usagi seconded. 

"Don't be stupid," Rei said annoyingly. "I'm not a fool to kill somebody just to have something I wanted." She paused, taking a cookie and biting on it. Then she continued. "The weirdest part here was that I killed myself afterwards." 

"You killed yourself?!" Makoto and Minako both exclaimed. 

She nodded. 

"That's one vision I would never like to have," the brunette then said, rubbing her left arm. 

The odango blonde suddenly snapped her fingers. Her three friends stared at her. "I know!" she said. "Maybe that dead guy was your boyfriend and he betrayed you and... and you killed him. But you couldn't stand it that's why you committed suicide." 

"Yes, yes that's right," Minako, this time, agreed with Usagi. "And that ring was an engagement ring." 

Rei scratched her head. "Are you saying that he's my fiance?" 

"He might be," Usagi replied. 

The miko shook her head, dismissing the thought. "That's extremely nonsense. I do not have plans of having a boyfriend. They're just a waste of my precious time." 

The two blondes just stared at each other. 

"Uhm, Rei-chan," Makoto said. "This vision of yours... do you think it is of the past or of the future?" 

"I really have no idea," she replied. 

"It could be of the future," Minako suggested. "Maybe she's going to meet some hot guy and they will be engaged and kaboom! He'll be dead!" Then she laughed like a five-year old. 

Rei narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, right," she muttered sarcastically. "Now I looked like as if I have a curse or something." 

"Mina-chan may be right," Makoto said. "Your visions are usually about the future." And then she grinned. "But don't you think a dagger is a little bit, uhm... old fashioned? Why not a gun? It would be quicker and less painful." 

The miko groaned. "Mako-chan, please don't make me lose my lunch." 

"Sorry." 

"There's also a big possibility that it was of the past," Usagi said. "I'm pretty sure Senshi Mars had a lover back then." 

Color drained from the miko's face. "E-excuse me?" she stammered. "It's impossible. I believe I didn't...." 

The odango blonde gave her a sly grin. "How could you be so sure?" 

Rei opened her mouth to say something but quickly shut it back. 

"Rei-chan had a lover?" Minako then asked with disbelief. 

Usagi rolled her eyes. "The Moon people might look young but we were actually as old as the oldest living tree on earth. Did you think that at the span of more than a thousand years, the four guardians were not able to have a boyfriend at least?" 

The three blinked at the odango blonde and shook their heads for a no. 

Makoto then snapped out of her trance. "So you mean Minako-chan, Ami-chan and I also had a lover back then?" 

"I'm not saying exactly that you had," Usagi replied. "What I meant was it could be fairly possible." 

"I thought we were supposed to be guarding you that's why we had no time for ourselves?" Rei asked, still doubtful of the blonde's idea. 

"Says who?" the odango blonde shot back. "How did you think I was able to meet Endymion here on Earth if the four of you were "guarding" me closely?" 

Makoto scratched her chin. "That made sense." 

"I remember having crushes back then but I don't remember falling in love," Minako then said. 

"You had crushes?" Usagi squealed. "With whom?" 

"Oh, about a hundred pretty faces but the most that stood out were Adonis and Kunzite," Minako replied nonchalantly. 

"You had a crush on Kunzite? As in Kunzite, the shitennou?" the tall brunette asked with wide eyes. 

The longhaired blonde nodded exuberantly. 

"And who's Adonis?" Rei then asked. "I haven't heard that name before." 

"He's a Venusian soldier who fell in love with me, I mean my past princess self," she replied. "And then when the Dark Kingdom emerged, he became one of its minions as Danburite. You do remember Kaitou Ace, right?" 

"Yeah," Usagi said. "He appeared when Sailor Moon wasn't still around." 

"That's him," Minako continued. "He disguised himself as an evil-fighter so he could get to me and kill me. And before he fell from a ledge and die, that blasted idiot put a curse on me, saying I wouldn't be able to find true love because I chose my duty over it." 

"That explains," Makoto commented dryly. 

Minako turned sharply at her. "Explain what?!" 

"Nothing." 

Rei quirked a brow. "So you really had this _fondness_ for handsome but extremely evil and psychotic guys. I admire your taste." 

"Hey, stop picking at _my_ men," Minako said. "You didn't hear me saying anything bad about Jadeite-senpai, did you?" 

Rei frowned. "You can badmouth him anytime you want," she said, folding her arms across her chest. "It's none of my business and I don't give a damn, anyway." 

The blonde chuckled. "Yeah, and Ami-chan's hair is as long as mine," she added with full of irony. 

"Hey Rei-chan," Makoto called out. "This Mr. Dead Guy... do you remember his name or how he looked like?" 

She sighed. "I'm afraid I don't" 

Usagi frowned. "What's with that vision of yours? You can't remember anything important!" 

"Visions are supposed to be like that," Rei answered. "They do not give anything specific or definite. You'll have to figure it out for yourself." 

"I still don't get it," Usagi said, scratching her head. 

Rei sighed and gave her a taunting smile. "With that brain of yours, it's no wonder." 

"What did you say?!" Usagi snarled. "You really have a big attitude problem!" 

The miko just sipped her tea and pretended she didn't hear anything. 

After twenty minutes, a bowl of cookies and two bags of junk food, Ami finally arrived. But, to their surprise, she wasn't alone 

"Sorry guys," Ami said as she removed her shoes. "I had to stop by at the hospital to bring Mom her jacket." 

Rei got up and stood at the door. "It's okay," she said, smiling. "Your study partners were making themselves quite busy while you were gone." 

"Hey, it's Zoisite-kun!" Minako exclaimed, her mouth full of M & M's. 

Zoisite smiled and bowed. "Konnichiwa." 

Ami glanced apologetically at Rei. "I met him on my way here and I took the liberty to ask him to join us," she said meekly. "I hope you don't mind." 

The miko smothered a laugh. "Of course I don't mind," she replied. "Zoisite is a nice guy and the only one I couldn't stand is his jerk of a brother." Then she turned to him. "Come in. Don't be shy. Make yourself at home." 

Zoisite mumbled his thanks and then went inside. 

"Actually," the blue-haired girl said, scratching nervously her head. "Senpai is also with us. He's talking to your grandfather outside." 

Rei's jaw dropped. "N-nani?" 

"What's the matter Rei-chan?" Usagi teased. "You looked so shocked." 

Makoto chuckled. "I think 'enraged' would be more fitting." 

"Uhm, are you alright?" Ami asked worriedly. 

"I'm... fine," she replied and then smiled exaggeratedly. 

Ami let out a sigh of relief and entered Rei's room. She settled the stack of books in the low table and sat. She stole a worried glance at the miko's direction and then asked her friends, "She's fine, isn't she?" 

Minako giggled, her teeth full of chocolate stains. "Oh don't worry about her. She's just too happy to see Jadeite-senpai." 

"Can't blame her, though," Zoisite said lightly. "My brother can be a whacko sometimes. He used to pick on me when we were younger and Nephrite would hit him in the head." 

"How old is he? I mean your brother Nephrite," Makoto asked casually, pretending not to show any undue interest. 

"He's 20," he replied. "He'll be turning 21 in a few months." 

"Oh, he's about the age of my Mamo-chan!" Usagi squealed and then shot the tall brunette a knowing look. 

"Four years," Minako mumbled and then smiled brightly at her tall friend. "Hey, you could still be together." 

She furrowed her brows and frowned. "What do you mean _we could still be together_?" 

The longhaired blonde just winked at her and popped more M & M's to her mouth. Rei finally joined them and sat beside Ami, flipping some pages of a thick Chemistry book. 

"I thought you have just finished your midterms?" Minako said, staring oddly at the miko. 

"Yes I had," she replied. "Why?" 

"Senpai is exempted from the exams," Usagi said in a teasing tone. "Why don't you talk to him so you wouldn't be bored?" 

"Why don't you go and talk to him instead?" Rei retorted. 

"Sorry, have to study for the exams." 

Before she was able to say something nasty, Rei heard her grandfather's voice, calling her. She got up and excused herself, leaving her friends exchanging meaningful glances. Lifting her red hibakama, she wore her slippers and trudged grudgingly towards where her ojii-san was. 

Grandpa waved to her as soon as she came into view. "Rei-chan!" 

She groaned at the sight of Jadeite's over bright smile. It seemed that the old man was actually enjoying the irritating blond's company. Great, just great. She walked a few meters more until she was close enough to talk to them. 

"What is it, ojii-san?" she asked slowly, ignoring completely the guy beside the Shinto priest. She momentarily straightened her miko robe and stared at the old man expectantly. 

"I'd like you to give this letter to Norio-san. It's about the plans for upcoming summer festival next month," Grandpa said, handing a folded paper to her. "I could have given it myself but my back was really killing me." 

She nodded obediently and took it. "Anything else?" 

The old man paused and scratched his chin, thinking. "Oh, and we ran out of eggs," he then said. "Could you get some on your way back?" 

"Of course." 

Then, he turned to Jadeite and smiled. "Do you mind accompanying my granddaughter? She might have trouble carrying the eggs." And then he chuckled. 

"I would be honored, sir," Jadeite replied eagerly and then grinned at the miko's direction. 

"Ojii-san!" Rei protested, frowning at the old man. And then she glared daggers at the blonde guy. "I'd rather go alone," she then said, putting emphasis on the last word. "And besides, those eggs do not weigh a ton." 

Her grandfather just ignored her. "Now, off you go," he said smiling. He then stared at the sky. "And bring an umbrella with you. I think it is going to rain." 

She was about to say something more but the old man had gone inside to fetch an umbrella for her. Grumbling moodily to herself, she heard Jadeite snickering. "What's so funny?" she snapped. 

"You," he replied, pointing at her. 

Rei rolled her eyes upward. "Jerk," she muttered under her breath. She then saw her grandpa approaching them and carrying only _one_ umbrella in his hand. _Oh, that's really nice,_ she thought sarcastically. 

"Here, Rei-chan," Grandpa said, giving her the umbrella. "I can't find the other one so you just have to share it with Jadeite-kun. Now hurry up and be careful." 

"I will," she said with a scowl. She then turned to her heels and left, with Jadeite trailing behind her.

* * *

Slowly wiping the rain off his arm, Jadeite glanced at his companion and sighed. The sleeve of his shirt was soaking wet and it seemed that Rei didn't mind it at all. It seemed that she didn't really want to share the umbrella with him anyway. 

_Some luck,_ he thought. 

On the other hand, a major part of him was rejoicing that he was actually here, under the pouring rain (well, not actually pouring but a only mild drizzle), shoulder to shoulder with _her_. How could he be any luckier? He wouldn't pass this chance just to be with her, would he? And Ojii-san... that old man was really Godsend. He reminded himself to promptly thank him when they get back to the shrine. 

Noticing that she was having trouble with her hibakama, Jadeite, for the fourth time since it rained that afternoon, offered to hold the umbrella for them. And as expected, she refused, saying that she do not want the people to get the _wrong message_. 

He arched a brow. Wrong message? 

"What the...?" he said, visibly annoyed. "What are you talking about? I just wanted to help you. The hem of your robe is getting wet and I want to carry that freaking umbrella so you could lift them up!" 

"Thanks," Rei replied with sarcasm. "But I don't need your help." 

Jadeite let out another sigh and shook his head. This girl was really ticking him off sometimes. But why he still chases after her was still a mystery to him. "Fine," he muttered with resignation. "But could you please move the umbrella a little bit to my side? I'm getting wet." 

The miko continued to walk as if she didn't hear anything. 

He suddenly stopped and yanked the umbrella's handle away from her but Rei was still gripping it tightly. "Why don't you let me have the umbrella so we could be both happy, hmm?" 

Rei stopped in her tracks and glared at him. "What is your problem?" she asked exasperatedly, yanking the handle from him. "I told you I don't need your help!" 

Jadeite pulled the umbrella back to him. "Let me have it!" 

"You may not!" 

Rei tugged at the handle but Jadeite wouldn't let her, thereby resulting to a tug of war in the middle of the sidewalk, under the falling rain. Passersby were beginning to stare at them, giving them odd and amused looks. The miko finally noticed it and her violet eyes clashed with Jadeite's blue ones. 

"Stop it, I'm getting wet!" she hissed. "The people are staring at us!" 

"Well, why don't you stop being stubborn and give me the freaking umbrella?!" he shot back. "I'm just trying to help. At least spare me the chance of being a gentleman." 

The miko raised a dark brow. "Oh, is that what you're worrying about? That people might get the impression that you're rude, letting a girl hold the umbrella for you? It must be a blow to your big ego." 

His eyes widened. "Hey, that's not what I meant!" he replied indignantly. From the look on his face, Rei could tell that he was really offended. 

She hastily realized her mistake and went silent. Why did she acted that way when he was just trying to help her? Now she's the who's one being rude... and childish. She didn't really mean to say that. All she knew was that she really didn't like the idea of being with him and she had this tendency to be total cranky whenever he's near. And she couldn't quite understand why. Still, she didn't let go of the umbrella. 

"If you really wanted to help me that bad," Rei said, looking up to him. "Here, carry these." She then handed a plastic bag with two cartons of eggs to him. "Are you happy now?" 

Jadeite let out a small grin and took it. "I really don't understand you and I don't think I ever will," he muttered softly. 

The miko, surprised by the tone of his voice, unconsciously returned the gesture and said, "Then stop trying." She then added, "If one of them was broken, I'm going to break you neck." She then moved the umbrella to his side so he wouldn't be wet anymore. 

The blond chuckled and smiled his patented grin. "Yes ma'am," he replied, giving her a salute. 

_Damn, she's really pretty,_ he thought as they continued to walk. Thinking about the smile on her face gave his heart a sudden lurch. It was the first that she had ever given him since they met and he didn't think that he would be able to sleep tonight because of that one stupid smile coming from her, _his_ fiery Shinto miko. 

"Why did you come to the shrine, anyway?" Rei asked after a moment of silence. "And what did Ojii-san tell you when I was away?" 

"Why do you want to know?" he asked back, smiling to her. 

"Don't answer my questions with a question!" 

"You really couldn't pass up the opportunity to snap at me. Tell me, what did I ever do to you?" he said lightly, chuckling. Rei gave him a you-know-it look and then rolled her eyes. "To answer you first question, to pray, of course. No, I'm just kidding. I saw my brother and Ami-chan walking down the street and asked them where they were going. And when they told me they're heading to Hikawa Jinja, I came along. Second question, Ojii-chan asked me if he knew me because I looked familiar to him. I said I don't know, I haven't met him before. And then, he started telling me stories about the shrine." 

"He also told me he used to have an apprentice," he continued when Rei didn't say anything. 

"Yes," the miko agreed, nodding. "But he left months ago." 

Jadeite cleared his throat and then glanced at her. "You know, that robe really looked good on you. You seemed... different." 

"What do you mean different?" she asked, raising a brow. 

"I don't know," he replied. "Different but in a go--" 

Somebody suddenly knocked him off from behind. Looking up, he saw a black figure running as fast as he could away from them and then he heard somebody screaming. 

"My bag!" an old lady screamed. "He took my bag! Please help me!" 

Before he could regain his bearings, Rei thrust the umbrella to him and said, "Stay here and don't break the eggs." 

His eyes widened. "What?!" he exclaimed. "You're not planning to go after him by yourself, are you?" But nobody answered because she was already ahead of him, chasing after the thief. "Rei-chan!" 

With a burst of red light and a flurry of lace and ribbons, Rei transformed into Super Sailor Mars in an abandoned alley. Normally, youmas were the one who receive her death blow but since the defeat of Galaxia, senshi duties became slow. Not that she didn't enjoy it, but sometimes, she really liked something to vent her powers on. 

And besides, she wouldn't let that thug go away. After all, she is one of the defenders of love and justice. And taking care of thieves and thugs falls under the "justice" category and she couldn't bear the thought of her being unable to help a person in need. 

Sailor Mars leapt onto a tall building and scanned the area for the snatcher. For a moment, Jadeite's image came to her mind. He must be wondering now why on earth she chased after the thief, she mused to herself. In her haste to help the old lady, she just dashed away from him, offering no explanation. He must be confused... and worried. She softened at the thought of him worrying about her. Yes, he's worried alright. She sensed it when she heard him call out her name. 

The red senshi finally spotted the thief in a back alley, rummaging through the old lady's bag. She leapt from building to building and hid behind a big trash bin when she's already a few meters away from him. Sailor Mars squinted. She'll stop thinking about Jadeite and she would just make an excuse to him later. Right now, she has a crook to catch. 

"I think you've got something that doesn't belong to you," she said, stepping out of her hiding place. 

The thief was startled and suddenly jerked his head to her direction. "What the hell? Who are you?" His gaze then traveled at the senshi's vibrant red heels. "And what's with the shoes?" 

Sailor Mars fumed. "My name and my shoes are none of your concern!" she snapped, foregoing the introductions that they usually do. Darn it, she thought. She really hated it when somebody makes fun of her shoes. "Now hand that bag over before I send you crying back to your mother." 

The man smirked. "Well, I really love to see you tr--" 

Before the thief has even had the time to blink, the fiery senshi was already behind him and was able to hit the back of his neck, sending him unconscious and sprawled on the filthy ground. 

Sailor Mars flipped back her hair. "Too bad you're too slow to see it." She suddenly heard the sound of sirens of approaching police cars. They must have tracked the thief down. She wandered her gaze and saw some worn-out rope in a nearby corner. She quickly took it and tied the unconscious burglar up. "This guy is going to have a real bad headache when he wakes up." 

She then left hurriedly to avoid the police from finding her and leapt into a roof close by and then into a building. Landing into an empty pathway, she detransformed into Hino Rei, but too occupied to notice a tall blond guy's head suddenly shot up from its resting position in a brick wall. 

Smiling triumphantly, Rei whirled around and... paled. Her smile slowly disappeared because right in front of her, Jadeite's light blue eyes was staring aghast into her wide violet ones. 

He slowly came to her, his steps faltering. "Rei, you," he whispered. "You... y-you're Sailor Mars..."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Please review onegaiiii!! I beg you! 

Thanks to babymar-mar and Ocianne for reviewing the last chapter, especially to Ocianne for pointing out the errors Getting two reviews is better than nothing at all, ne? Anyway, in my excitement to post Chapter 7 (not to mention it was already 1:30 AM), I forgot to run the spell check and do some major editing. Sorry guys! English in not my native language and unfortunately, I don't have a beta so just please forgive my slip-ups. 

Well, till next time. Ja! 


	9. Fly me to the moon

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon doesn't belong to me. 

**_Chapter Nine: Fly Me to the Moon_**

"In July 1894, Japan went to war with China over control of Korea, which had been under Chinese influence for many hundreds of years. Japan quickly defeated China. The treaty of Shimonoseki, signed on April 17, 1895, gave Japan Taiwan and the Liaodong Peninsula, the southernmost tip of Manchuria. But within a week, France, Germany, and Russia forced Japan to return Liaodong to China. The treaty of Shimonoseki also granted Korea independence, thus leaving the country open to Japanese influence..."

Minako groaned with frustration and closed the thick History book with a loud smack. "Can we take a break?"

Ami glanced at her wrist watch to check the time and then gave her a stern look. "No."

The longhaired blonde pouted. "Come on," she whined. "My brain was practically shutting down!"

Ami paused from doing her math problems and adjusted her glasses. "Minako-chan, we already took a break ten minutes ago."

"But that was Usagi's break!"

"No," the genius replied. "Besides, we already had about seven breaks in the past thirty minutes." She then noticed Makoto lying on her side, her back to theirs. The brunette's head was supported by her arm and an open book was sitting in front of her. "Look at Mako-chan. She's concentrating on her studies and I didn't even hear her complain for a second."

Minako choked out a small laugh. "That's because she's asleep," she said pointedly.

"What?"

Zoisite chuckled at Ami's expression for a moment and then went back to tutoring Usagi

The longhaired blonde grinned. "Look," she said as she got up and crouched behind the tall brunette. She gently poked her on the side and her friend didn't make any move whatsoever. "See?"

Ami sighed and shook her head hopelessly. "Fine, go and have some time-off," she said. "Just don't blame me when you fail the exams."

Minako smiled sweetly at her direction.

"Maybe you should wake Mako-chan up," Zoisite said, glancing at the longhaired blonde. "She might catch a cold sleeping there in front of the sliding doors."

Ami smiled inwardly, touched by the young man's genuine concern for her friend. "Zoisite-kun was right. Mako-chan could not afford to be sick right now."

"Okay," Minako replied and then stared at Makoto's sleeping form. A mischievous grin lifted the corners of her mouth. "Mako-chan?"

Makoto didn't even stir.

"Mako-chan?" the blonde repeated. And with a much louder voice, she exclaimed, "Hey Mako-chan! Your meatloaf is burning!"

A disoriented brunette suddenly shot up from her lying position and then hastily went towards the door. "My meatloaf! Where's my meatloaf?!"

Minako burst out with fits of giggles, practically rolling on her sides on the tatami-covered floor. Zoisite let out a muffled laugh while Ami just shook her head. Makoto squinted and sent the laughing blonde a death glare.

"You are sooo dead, Aino!" she muttered dangerously.

Minako continued to laugh until a pencil eraser hit her in the head. "Heey!" she spluttered indignantly, rubbing the sore spot. She whirled her gaze and saw Usagi staring moodily at her. "What's your problem?"

"You made me lose my concentration!" the odango blonde exclaimed with exasperation.

The longhaired blonde threw the eraser back at Usagi and it landed right between the other blonde's eyes. Minako grinned tauntingly as Usagi took an angry step on top of the low table. The table shook with the ferocity of the odango blonde's fury. Ami rolled her eyes and took her green tea, placing it in a safe place.

"If you're going to take a break," the short-haired girl said. "Make sure you don't bother anyone else."

"Yeah," Makoto agreed. "That's right."

Minako raised a brow at the brunette's direction. "Even if they were just sleeping?"

Makoto folded her arms and lifted her nose in the air.

A moment later, Rei's grandfather poked his head inside the room and scanned the place for his granddaughter. "Is Rei-chan there yet?" he asked when he failed to see her.

Minako shook her head for a no.

The Shinto priest scratched his chin. "That's odd. I just told them to deliver the letter."

"Don't worry 'bout her, Ojii-chan," Makoto said, idly turning the pages of her book. "Jadeite-senpai is with her. Maybe they just decided to go out on a date."

Grandpa chuckled. "I really admire your sense of humor, Mako-chan," he then said. "This boy, Jadeite-kun, he seemed nice."

"He is," Usagi agreed with a smile. "The only one who didn't find it so was Rei-chan. They always argue when they were together."

The old man smiled, nodding thoughtfully. "Well, I'll better leave you guys to your studies. Sorry to bother you, I just came to check up on her."

"It's okay," the odango blonde assured him.

Ojii-chan waved at them and then went back to the shrine's main hall to finish his chores.

Meanwhile.....

Jadeite stood dumbfounded, unable to take any steps further. Maybe he was just hallucinating. Maybe it was just his imagination. But it wasn't. He really did see her transform from a fiery sailor-suited senshi into a Shinto miko.

"Rei... you... Sailor Mars...."

Rei mentally berated herself for being so stupid and careless. It never occurred to her that somebody might have been there before she detransformed. But the last time she checked, he wasn't there. Nobody was even there. Or maybe she was just wrong...

And stupid.

If not for the predicament that she had put herself into, she would have laughed outright at the look on Jadeite's face. Shock was an understatement. And the guy's ability to form coherent sentences momentarily eluded him. Boy, what she wouldn't give to have a camera right now.

_Fool, this is not the right time to think about that!_ a voice in her mind spoke.

_Oh... right._

The miko groaned inwardly. "Of all the people who could possibly know my secret identity," she muttered to herself.

Jadeite somehow managed to recover his composure and was now staring at her with something indescribable in his eyes. Rei felt a sinking feeling at the pit of her stomach and quickly turned her gaze, avoiding eye contact.

"I can't believe this," he finally said, his voice only above a whisper. "Hino Rei is Sailor Mars."

Sighing, she then glanced at him. "Senpai--"

"Did they know something about this?" his abrupt question cut her off.

Rei gave him a blank look. "They?"

"Your friends," he replied. "Usagi-chan and the others. Do they know your secret?"

"No," she lied. Jadeite, whether she admits it or not, is a smart guy. He might put two and two together if she tells him the truth. He might have the speculation that her friends were also the Sailor Senshi, especially Usagi, whose two odangos were a dead giveaway.

"Your grandfather?"

"No, but I guess somehow he knew."

Scratching his chin, he then raised his brow to her. "Hmm, that's one big secret you got there. Anyway, from what I remember, there were several _girls_ like you. Do you happen to know who they really are?"

"No," she lied again. "And even if I do, I wouldn't tell you." She then closed the distance between them and snatched the umbrella from him. Opening it, she said, "Let's go home. Ojii-san must be worried already."

She then started walking with Jadeite following suit.

"Not so fast, Rei-chan," he said, siding up with her. "You owe me an explanation. You think after all of the things I saw, I would just let you drop it like that?"

Rei stopped and stared at him. "I don't owe you anything."

Jadeite smirked. "Fine," he said. "You don't owe me anything. But aren't you even afraid that _I_ would tell this pretty little secret of yours to... let's say, the reporters?"

"You wouldn't dare!"

He just grinned at her.

The miko rolled her eyes. "Even if you were an all-time jerk, you're not the type of person who would do such a thing," she said pointedly.

Jadeite's smile widened. "Wow, I'm so touched," he said with an exaggerated sigh, clutching his left chest. "I didn't know Hino Rei has such a high opinion of me."

"Whatever." She turned her back on him

Marching briskly forward, Rei drew a weary sigh as a thousand thoughts drifted through her mind. She had been discovered. By Jadeite, no less. How would she be able to explain it to her friends? That it was due to her carelessness? And what if Jadeite suddenly turned evil _again_ and used that knowledge against her? Or what if Jadeite _were_ the type of person who would expose her secret to the public? The media and the people would be all over the shrine and she would no longer have the peace and quiet that she enjoyed for the rest of her life. It's like her whole life would turn into a freak show... and her fellow senshi would soon share her fate. Mamoru and Usagi wouldn't be married, Chibiusa wouldn't be born and Crystal Tokyo wouldn't be established.

And it was all because of her.

She _had_ inadvertently, but effectively, _destroyed_ everybody's future. Well... sort of.

Rei grimaced at the thought and stopped on her tracks. She wouldn't let those ugly things happen. As Senshi Mars, she made an oath to protect her princess and the future, whatever it takes. And since it was her fault that those things were going to happen, it's _her_ responsibility to set things right. Even if it means that she has to beg that insolent guy to keep his mouth shut.

Whirling around, the miko stared and studied the tall blond guy before her. He was smirking at her and his face was sporting a look that says he knew exactly what she was thinking. Rei groaned to herself, her pride couldn't and wouldn't accept the fact that she's going to ask Jadeite, of all people, for a _favor_.

_If it weren't for Usagi-chan..._ she thought vehemently. Well, if it weren't for her, Hino Rei wouldn't be Sailor Mars in the first place, anyway.

"Senpai," she said in a neutral voice. "I _apologize_ for my behavior. Now you knew my secret..." She saw him raised a brow and Rei barely managed to wipe that impudent grin off his face. "Now you knew my secret, I have something to ask of you." And then she added through clenched teeth, "even if it greatly pains me to do so."

Jadeite's grin widened. "I knew you would say that," he said confidently. "From the moment you turned around, I knew you would say exactly those words." And then he inclined his head. "Well?"

Rei rolled her eyes, flaring her nose. She composed herself and said, "I'm asking if you could possibly not breathe a word to anyone about _this_... for as long as you shall live?"

He nodded good-naturedly. "Of course..."

"Thank you."

"...on one condition."

Rei abruptly frowned. "Why am I not surprised," she then muttered dryly.

"Hey, you're asking me something that I would do for a lifetime. Do you know how difficult it would be for me?" Jadeite asked indignantly.

"I could only imagine."

The blond guy shook his head. "Nothing's for free in this world you know." he said. "And for your information, I'm not the one who's asking for favors here."

"Oh I'm so sorry. How could I've ever forgotten?" she asked ironically. "That was very thoughtless of me."

He sighed exasperatedly. "Enough with the sarcasms, Rei-chan. Compared to you, I'm only asking for a small condition."

Rei scoffed. She had expected this. The guy was nothing but a selfish, all-time jerk and a great pain in the... But somehow, she was a bit disappointed that he was asking for something in return.

"Fine," she said. "Let's hear this _small_ condition of yours."

Jadeite's smile returned. "In exchange for keeping your secret for the next one hundred years, granting that I'll live as long as that, I want you Hino Rei... Sailor Mars," he said, stressing her senshi name, "to be my girlfriend. How about that?"

Rage exploded on Rei's brain. "What? Are you insane?!" she almost shouted. "And you call that a small condition?!"

He just grinned and shrugged his shoulders.

"How about I transformed into Sailor Mars and burn you into a crisp?" she asked in a steely tone.

"I don't think that would fall under the 'protecting the innocent' category," he said with mild amusement. "You're supposed to protect the innocents, right?"

"You're no innocent. You're the most evil scum alive! I should have pummeled you the first time we met."

"What, with that flying paper thingies of yours?"

"It's an ofuda, you moron!"

"Whatever," he said, imitating her earlier reply. "What do you have against me, Rei-chan? Why, I'm the best-looking guy in my school. Only few were given the honor and opportunity to be my girl so consider yourself lucky." And then he let out a conceited laugh. "What more could you ask for?"

Rei put her free hand on her hip. "You know, you're arrogance is utterly nauseating."

Jadeite chuckled. "Thank you."

Walking up to him, she snatched the plastic bags from him. "I would not accept that stupid, pathetic condition of yours even my very life depended on it. And I wouldn't be your girl even if you're the last person on earth," she said right on his face. She then turned her back and took some steps forward until Jadeite's taunting voice stopped her.

"Fine, walk away and leave," he said. "You're a fool for not knowing what's in front of you."

Rei just ignored him and proceeded as if she didn't hear him at all.

Jadeite watched her retreating form with a thoughtful smile on his lips. The rain had stopped and the sun peeked from the clouds, its rays highlighting his golden hair, creating a shimmering halo around him. He then chuckled to himself.

Rei was the only person who treated him less amiably and he didn't mind. He actually enjoyed it. Despite of all the bickerings and the harsh words, she started to grow on him and he'll be damned to let her go that easy.

"I'll make you eat your words, Rei-chan. That's a promise."

* * *

"Would you like to go out with me, beautiful?"

Pausing from folding her black karate belt, Makoto looked up and saw Jadeite leaning on the doorframe of their club building. She placed the belt inside her duffel bag and zipped it closed. Smirking, the blond approached her.

She gave him a mocking grin. "Sorry, I don't go out with boys who chase after pretty Shinto priestesses." She swung her bag on her left shoulder and added, "and you're not my type."

Raising a brow, Jadeite chuckled. "And who's your type? Tall, lean and gorgeous college guys with very dark brown hair? And whose names start with N?" His smile widened when saw the brunette frowned. "There were very few of them but don't worry, you're in luck because my brother happened to be one of them."

"Very funny, Senpai," she said with a sarcastic laugh. "Mention that again and I'll break your arm next time we spar."

"I'll change clubs then," he countered.

Makoto shook her head incredulously. "Now I know why Rei-chan hates you with a passion."

"Really? She told you she hated me?"

The brunette laughed at the startled look on his face. "No. I was just kidding," she said lightly. "Trust me, Senpai, she doesn't hate you. She may act like she does but in all honesty, she doesn't. Hate is such a strong term. Annoyed, maybe. But hate, I don't think so." She then looked at him expectantly. "So... what are these pointless chitchats for? I have to go home early and you're wasting my time, you know."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing in particular," he replied. Then he grinned at her. "What, you don't buy that I really would like to go out with you?"

"Yeah sure," she impertinently said.

Jadeite cleared his throat and felt uneasy for a moment. "Well, I was just wondering if... you know, Rei-chan were okay. I haven't seen her in days with you guys... since that rainy afternoon... I thought she may have gotten a flu or something... because of the, er, rain."

Makoto choked out a muffled laugh. "So, you're worried about her?" She then shook her head with disbelief. "All those stupid preambles just to ask me if she's okay?"

The blond glowered at her but said nothing.

"She's fine," she replied with a giggle and patted his shoulder. "She's just busy with all those school stuff. Why don't you visit her at the shrine and see her for yourself? I'm sure she would be _delighted_."

Jadeite sneered. "Delighted huh?"

"Yup."

He folded his arms across his chest. "I went there the other day. Unfortunately, she wasn't there. Only her _pets_ and Ojii-chan. Those birds stared at me as if I didn't have the right to be there. I swear it made the hair on the back of my neck rise." He then glanced at her. "Those crows, are they really her pets? Crows? I find it hard to believe."

"Phobos and Deimos? Yes, they are," Makoto replied. "Rei-chan gave them their names when she first came to Hikawa Jinja."

"The moons of Mars," he whispered absently. _Mars... Sailor Mars..._

"What was that?" the brunette suddenly asked.

Jadeite blinked his eyes. "Uh, nothing," he hastily said. "May I ask you something, Mako-chan?"

"Sure."

He scratched the side of his neck uncomfortably. "I'm just curious, how long have you been friends with each other?"

"Since we were fourteen," she replied, glancing at him. "About three years now, I guess."

"How did you meet her?"

"Well... Usagi-chan introduced me to her. She and Ami-chan knew Rei-chan long before I came here to Juuban."

He paused and looked up to her. "Does she... keep secrets from you?"

"Secrets?" she looked at him with an intent gaze. "What sort of secrets?"

Jadeite thought of the miko's other identity and decided that it would be better to keep it to himself. Although the girl flung his offer back to his face, he didn't have the heart to betray her like that. And he's not quite sure what her friends' reactions would be or whether they would be able to accept the fact that one of their best friends wears a very short skirt and saves the world on a daily basis.

Makoto's heart thudded frantically inside her chest as her mind raced with a thousand thoughts and possibilities. Did he remember everything about them? Had he discovered that Rei and Sailor Mars were the same person?

"Like, did she have a boyfriend?" Jadeite then said. "Or have she fallen in love before? Those sort of things."

"Oh... that." She let out a sigh of relief. "Well... Rei-chan is a very private person. She guarded her affairs like the most precious treasures on Earth."

"Really...?"

The brunette glanced at him with amusement. "You sounded like you're disappointed."

The blond just shrugged his shoulders.

Makoto went on. "She's not comfortable with all the 'lovey-dovey' talks but she talks when you least expected it."

"But you've been friends for so long," he interrupted. "Surely you must know why she acts like that. I mean, hating love an all the men as if we're the most disgusting creatures ever to walk on the planet."

The brunette giggled. "If it makes you happy, Senpai, you'll be the first guy she'll ever have if by some miracle you manage to snatch her."

Jadeite winced. "You talked as if I don't stand a chance at all."

Makoto just laughed. "I don't think you're man enough to win her over," she said teasingly. "Besides, Usagi-chan and I had a bet and I don't want to lose."

"I presume you made the bet against me, correct?" he asked lightly, raising a brow. "So why don't you enlighten me why she hates us?" he continued when the brunette just grinned at him.

"Rei-chan is one of my best friends. I can't tell her biggest secret to you," she said amusedly. "And like I said, I don't think you had the guts to love her."

Jadeite chuckled. "That's what I like about you, Mako-chan. When it comes to me, you're brutally frank."

"Don't patronize me that much."

"So why do you think I don't have the guts to love her?" he then asked, smiling playfully.

"Do I have to answer that?" she retorted. "I might end up hurting your feelings." She then laughed. "Now, it's my turn to ask you something."

"Shoot."

"Are you really serious about her?"

"Define serious."

"I'm not a dictionary. Do I look like one?"

Jadeite smothered a laugh at Makoto's jest. Then his blue eyes sobered. "I won't hurt her. That I can assure you."

"Jadeite-kun?" suddenly came a sweet voice. "Are you there?"

Makoto raised a brow at him. Jadeite just grinned nervously when the owner of the voice came into view.

The brunette recognized the girl as one of the lead actresses of the Drama Club, the one that Minako swore vengeance upon since she didn't get accepted because of the girl's influence. She bore a resemblance with Rei but she paled in comparison with the miko.

"I thought you already have a girlfriend at _Rei-chan's_ school?" Makoto asked with indifference, emphasizing her friend's name.

Jadeite wiped the perspiration off his forehead. "I broke up with her a long time ago."

"...Uh huh.

"There you are," the girl said as she linked her arm on Jadeite's. She smiled sweetly at him and then gave the brunette a questioning glance. "Kino Momoko right?"

"It's Makoto," she corrected with a forced smile.

"This is Nitta Chiaki, one of my... classmates," Jadeite said awkwardly. "Uhm, I guess we'll be leaving then." He nodded at the brunette's general direction and steered the girl away.

"Nice meeting you Momoko-san," Chiaki said with an infuriating smile as the blond guy almost dragged her out of Makoto's immediate reach.

"Senpai," the brunette called out to him. Jadeite paused from his retreat and turned at her. "I'm willing to lose my bet just promise me you'll keep your word. And Chiaki-san..." At this the girl peered impatiently on her shoulder, "It's _Makoto_, not Momoko. It would be best for you to remember that."

The girl looked thunderstruck at her silent warning. She then saw the corner of Jadeite's mouth curled upward into a smile, giving her a salute before leading the annoying girl away from the building.

* * *

Cursing under her breath, Rei stared in disbelief at the second arrow protruding approximately five inches away from the bull's eye. With her free hand, she scratched the base of her neck and stared -- this time -- at the first arrow. It was closer to the center than the second but still, it didn't get where she had intended it to be. 

She closed her eyes and breathed slowly. For the third time, she picked up another arrow and readied her self once more. She placed it in the wooden bow, stretching the string until it became taut, and focused her sight on the arrow's tip and the target. Rei released the arrow and held a lungful of air in anticipation as she watched it flew.

"Damn it!" she muttered aloud, causing the other archers to gape at her, when she saw the arrow landed on the ground. Bowing apologetically, she stalked moodily and disappointedly towards the locker room but relieved altogether that none of the Sisters heard her or else she would be doing penance for her _blasphemous_ speech in the reflection room.

She now realized, something was definitely wrong with her. Rei slumped herself on the wooden bench and rested her head against the cold wall, closing her eyes. For the last two weeks, she was either unable to sleep or she was always waking up in the middle of the night, screaming her lungs out, because of her worst, terrible, horrible nightmare ever.

And now, she was desperately in need of sleep but was afraid to do so because of the recurring 'nightmare' and dreadfully in need to concentrate so that their coach wouldn't notice that her arrows were failing _again_.

Rei opened her eyes and sighed. She got two problems the size of the Pacific Ocean and yet she couldn't ask for help, let alone tell someone about it. First, an imbecile discovered one of her biggest secrets and second, that same imbecile was causing her nightmares. Those were enough to cause you sleepless nights.

Ever since the day she told the other senshi about the vision and her secret was uncovered, it became clearer and clearer as the days progressed. The images, the place, the emotions. And most of all, the other person involved. The mysterious dead guy.

Usagi was right on both accounts. It was a vision of the past, and the man was her lover and betrayer. Rei shuddered uncontrollably and started to feel sick. Now she sees those images as nothing more of a vision but more of a bad dream induced by her frenetic and troubled mind. Her only consolation from them was that she was able to kill him in the end. Never in her wildest imagination would she consider Jadeite a part of her past, present or future. There's no way in hell that it could possibly happen.

No way.

"Rei-san? Are you okay?"

Rei slowly lifted her gaze towards the source of the voice and saw Kotono staring worriedly at her. "Kotono-san," she acknowledged, smiling faintly at her.

Kotono sat beside her and wiped the beads of perspiration off her own forehead with a towel. "I saw you missed your target," she said lightly. "Is there something bothering you?"

"I'm just tired," the miko replied wearily. "And sleepy. I haven't had enough sleep these past few days."

"Is it because of Jadeite-senpai?"

Rei stared at her, aghast. "What?"

The fair-haired girl giggled. "I'm just kidding. I think you should go home and take a rest. Practice is almost over anyway. I'll just tell Coach that you're not feeling well."

Recovering from her initial shock, Rei finally smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

Smiling, Kotono nodded before standing up and leaving the miko alone.

* * *

"What is that guy doing here?" 

Makoto almost jumped out of her skin and dropped the contents of her salad bowl when an agitated Rei suddenly spoke behind her. Placing the bowl on the counter, she let out a sigh of relief, thanking the gods that she didn't have to make another salad, and whirled around to glance at the girl.

Rei looked totally pissed off, she mused to herself as she watched her friend tapped her foot impatiently on the floor. The brunette chuckled silently and searched the miko's violet gaze. Obviously, there was something bothering her but Rei will be damned before she tell her.

"Usagi-chan invited him since, you know, she considered those guys as her friends," Makoto replied casually, still eyeing the girl carefully.

The raven-haired priestess stared at her with disbelief. "And nobody even told me?"

"We didn't think it would be that important to tell you. Besides, you were always on archery practice--"

"Kyudo. It's Kyudo," Rei corrected.

Makoto rolled her eyes. "Kyudo practice," she amended, and then continued, "that we rarely have the time to meet and see each other. I mean, come on, would you not come if we have told you that Jadeite-senpai was coming too? Do you hate him that much?"

Rei averted her gaze and frowned. "Do you really have to ask?"

The tall girl chuckled. "Silly me, why did I have to ask..." she said, grinning. "Yup, you really do hate him because you followed me all through the way to my kitchen just to rant about him being here."

"Is that sarcasm, Kino Makoto?"

Makoto just shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think you're angry because he's here. I think you're _worried_."

Rei abruptly glanced at the brunette and felt herself... melt. Makoto knew her all too well sometimes. Heck, most of the times, although she rarely points it out. She turned away from her penetrating look and just acted indifferently.

"Worried?" she just repeated instead.

"I don't know what happened between you two but it was as plain as day that you're not comfortable being near him not because of anger, but because of something else. Hell, I even think _afraid_ was the more appropriate term, not uncomfortable!" Makoto said that made Rei want to sink further in a wormhole. "And I bet that you wouldn't tell me, not in a million years, why."

A moment of silence passed.

Sighing, the miko then said, "I think I should go back there."

The brunette smiled. "Good, because you're not the type of person who would spoil a friend's birthday just because she has some issues with a guy."

Rei smiled back before turning her back and heading for the living room. After a few hesitant steps, she stopped and turned. The brunette wore a baffled expression as she watched the miko returned to her.

"Do you need a hand? You know, I could help--"

She waved a hand dismissively, hindering her friend's last ditch effort to escape. "Go on, I'll be fine. Just don't let the two blondes near here." And then she gave her an encouraging wink.

Rei sighed and finally went on her way. Makoto's smile slowly vanished as she watched her friend's retreating form. Sighing, she fiddled with the hem of her apron and whispered, "I somewhat feel the same too, Rei-chan. I didn't know _that_ guy would be coming over."

Glancing at the steaming pot on the stove, her eyes widened into the size of dinner plates when she realized she hadn't turned it off and her pasta was going to be soggy and mushy. She quickly rushed and turned the knob, muttering choice words that would make the angels cover their ears, and rescued the pasta from their impending culinary doom.

* * *

Massaging her left temple for the umpteenth time, she never felt utterly distressed and irritated in her entire life. She glanced at her wristwatch and wished for the night to end because she's as sure as hell that sometime during the party, Jadeite would find a way to bring up the subject about "the deal". The guy made some feeble attempts of talking and being alone with her but Rei promptly went to any of her friend's side and avoided him like a plague. 

She's not ready to confront him yet. Not now.

Especially when she thought about the dream-turned-vision-turned-nightmare. How could something so grotesque happen to her? She had been a good girl over the years. Why is this happening to her? Of all the people in this freaking universe, why her? Is this some kind of punishment for giving Usagi a hard time? For wanting her to behave like a true princess?

If only she had been more careful...

If only Ojii-san hadn't insisted Jadeite to go with her...

If only Setsuna-san made things clearer...

_"You have a visitor, Rei-chan," her grandpa said as Rei carefully removed her school shoes, placing them on the shoe rack. _

The girl eyed him with surprise. "A visitor?" she repeated. "I'm not expecting anyone today."

Jii-san just shrugged his shoulders in response.

'Better not be that blond devil,' she mused to herself, walking towards their living room with the old priest trailing behind her. Jadeite was calling her on the phone almost every night and she was running out of excuses not to talk to him.

Stopping on her tracks, a soft gasp escaped from her lips as soon as he caught sight of a woman, kneeling on a pillow in the tatami-covered floor and idly sipping her tea. The woman turned her head and smiled as soon as she felt her presence, meeting her gaze.

"Setsuna-san," Rei mumbled, recovering from her initial shock, edging closer to the older woman. "What a surprise." She took a seat across her without tearing her eyes away from the senshi of time.

"I was just around the neighborhood so I decided to drop by," Setsuna said, smiling her patented smile that she and the rest of the inner senshi find so hauntingly mysterious.

"Oh."

"If you need anything, just tell me," Jii-san interrupted, settling another glass of tea on the table. "I'll be at the kitchen."

"Thank you, sir" Setsuna gratefully said.

The priest chuckled. "Anything for a beautiful girl like you, Meiou-san."

"Jii-san," Rei admonished, glaring at her impertinent grandfather and then smiling apologetically at the other senshi.

Grandpa just grinned, giving them a wink before making a retreat for the kitchen.

"Sorry 'bout that," she said sheepishly.

"It's alright," Setsuna replied reassuringly. "Anyway, I also came here to bring Usagi-chan's present. It's her birthday today, isn't it?" She pulled out a medium-sized box wrapped in pink from her bag and placed it on the table.

Rei nodded. "Yes. We'll be coming over at Mako-chan's place tonight." She gave the present a quick glance and then back at Setsuna. "Why don't you come with us and give that to her yourself instead? I'm sure she'll be very happy."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," she said. "I still have to go back to the university to finish some things at the lab."

"What about Haruka-san, Michiru-san, and Hotaru-chan?" the miko asked.

"Well, Michiru has a music rehearsal and as for Haruka... she's looking after Hotaru-chan today. The poor kid has a nasty cold since the day before." She then nudged the box towards Rei. "Please tell Usagi-chan that we were sorry we couldn't come. We'll make it up to her next time."

Rei smiled. "Alright."

"By the way," she added with a soft chuckle, a glint of amusement in her eyes; a side of her that they hardly ever saw from her usual serious demeanor. "All of our presents are inside that box. Michiru was the one who wrapped that thing up. I was too busy to put mine in another while Haruka was too lazy to do the wrapping of her own. Well, Hotaru-chan... she only messed things up."

The miko giggled. "Pink is definitely her favorite color."

After a moment, the room went silent for a while. Rei then found herself under the scrutiny of Setsuna's somber gaze.

"Uhm... is there something wrong?" she asked rather consciously.

Setsuna stared at her eyes "You haven't had enough sleep for sometime." It was more of a statement than a question. "Try not to think too much of whatever that's bothering you."

"How did you--"

She smiled, cutting the miko off. "Rei-chan, after all that you've been through, you should know by now that everything happens for a reason. Even those things that don't seem to look good."

Rei looked away, sensing that the other senshi knew everything. "W-what should I do?" she whispered.

"Do what you think is right," came the reply.

The miko abruptly glanced back at her. "What?"

"Do what you think is right," Setsuna repeated with a smile. "And everything will just fall into place."

Rei's brow twitched. Okay, that was sooo vague.

"I know it's kind of hard to understand," the older woman said sympathetically. "But trust me, Rei-chan. You'll figure out the reason behind all this soon enough." She slowly rose to her feet and straightened her dress.

"Setsuna-san...?"

"Yes?"

The bewildered miko looked up to her with her dark amethyst eyes. "Why did you bring **them** back? I'm sure you have something to do with it."

To her surprise, the senshi of time chuckled. "You should be asking Mamoru-san, not me," she replied. "It isn't my position to tell why..." And then she paused for a while, thinking. Finally, she added, "And you were right, we had something to do with it, me and the others"

Rei sat there immobile, her mind reeling with all the revelations that Setsuna shared with her. Mamoru knew? So that explained why he was with Nephrite that day at Crown and wasn't bothered by the fact that he was introducing a once dead guy to his friends. And who the heck are those 'others' that Setsuna mentioned? The outers? Definitely. The cats? Probably. What about Usagi and Minako? The idea of befriending those shitennou didn't seem to faze those two blondes. But from their accounts, they were also shocked to the core when they found out that the shitennou were reborn.

"Setsuna-san?" she called out for the second time, slowly standing up. The older senshi tilted her head in response. "You're not going to tell me anything else, are you?"

Setsuna just gave her a faint smile. "I'm sorry, Rei-chan, but that's all I can tell you..."

Rei chewed on her lip and sighed. In her 17 years of existence, that conversation with Setsuna was, without a doubt, the weirdest she had with a fellow senshi. Not only she didn't get her answers, lots of questions were added on her already troubled mind. Her musings, however, were untimely interrupted when a loud, resonating sound hit her ears.

Groaning, she threw the odango blonde an annoyed look. Usagi was enjoying herself with the microphone, giving them a disturbing karaoke rendition of Britney Spear's Baby One More Time. Everybody seemed to enjoy it, except her of course, despite of the blonde's shrill and piercing voice.

Finally, to the miko's relief, the song ended and Usagi took a bow in front of their clapping friends.

"Since today's your birthday, I wouldn't complain or say how dreadful your voice was," she then said with a raised dark brow.

Minako snickered at Rei's comment while Usagi was pouting and rolling her eyes. The longhaired blonde took the mic from Usagi and handed it to the miko.

"It's your turn, Rei-chan," she said, grinning. "Why don't you sing to us and show how it is nicely done?"

The miko stared at the microphone in her hand and back at her friend's expectant gaze. Noticing Jadeite's wide taunting grin, Rei glared at the blonde guy and tossed the mic to him. "Nope. I'll pass. I'd rather see Jadeite-_senpai_ do it."

Jadeite smiled at her challenging remark. "If that's what you want, my princess, I would gladly oblige," he said, giving her an exaggerated bow.

"_Princess?_ Is there something here that I don't know?" Nephrite said in a teasing tone.

"Senpai really likes Rei-chan," Usagi replied, smiling knowingly at the miko's direction. "But Rei-chan doesn't care... or so it seemed."

Rei rolled her eyes and said nothing. She then suddenly remembered the blond guy's proposition and hastily clenched her fists on her lap, suppressing the urge to snatch the microphone from him and shove the thing to his mouth. And then Mamoru's face caught her eyes. If it weren't for him, she wouldn't be facing this very big dilemma. She made a mental note to herself that before this night ends, she would get her answers from him. Whether he likes it or not.

Strains of the next song filled the air as Jadeite stood in the middle, readying himself. The dark-haired girl rolled her eyes, unimpressed, when their friends started to laugh and cheer him on.

"Hey, this is one of my favorites!" he said as he waited for the lyrics to appear on the screen. He then glanced at the miko's direction and grinned widely. "I lovingly dedicate this song to Rei-chan."

The group cheered louder to Rei's mortification. To her surprise, even Ami was giving her teasing looks. She made another mental note to herself to kill her friends tomorrow.

The noise slowly died down and she almost strangled Jadeite right there and then when he started singing...

_Fly me to the moon  
And let me play among the stars.  
Let me know what spring is like  
On Jupiter and **Mars**. _

In other words  
Hold my hand.  
In other words  
Darling kiss me.

Rei gritted her teeth. The gods were definitely on his side. They even gave him the right song so that he could make fun of her! And she swore, he even looked at her when he sang the word 'Mars,' deliberately reminding her of what he knew, daring her to do something crazy in front of her friends.

_That jerk! He really asked for it!_

Jadeite finished his song with a huge smile plastered on his face, taking another bow. The miko was really furious, glaring daggers at him all the while but the blond guy was now the one who's avoiding eye contact.

After a few more songs were butchered by the rest of the group, Jadeite excused himself and asked where the bathroom was.

"Just pass through the hall and then turn left," Makoto answered amidst Minako's loud singing. "It's near the kitchen, you wouldn't miss it."

Jadeite nodded his thanks and went on his way. Rei saw the perfect timing to confront him and hastily stood up.

"Hey, where are you going?" Usagi asked, tugging at her hand.

"I'm gonna get some water," she replied casually. "I'm kind of thirsty."

Usagi nodded, letting go of her hand. Rei slowly made her way in front of the bathroom and waited impatiently for him to come out. A thousand ways of torturing and tormenting him ran through her mind and she couldn't decide which one of them was the most suitable. After a few moments, she finally heard the sound of the toilet flushing and water running from the faucet.

Jadeite was shocked, to say the least, when he opened the door and found Rei standing in front of him, her violet eyes blazing. He tilted his head, an amused smile forming on his lips.

"Are you going to use the bathroom, too?" he asked lightly.

"What do you think?" she asked with sarcasm in return.

He stepped aside. "Well, it's all yours, baby." The blond guy bit back a laugh when she didn't make any move. Raising a brow, he then stared at her. "Are you okay?"

Rei inclined her head, tapping her chin with a finger. "Hmm, let me see... after being perfectly humiliated, I think I am!" the last word was almost shouted at his face.

"Whoa, Rei-chan! If I'm not mistaken, I think I haven't done anything wrong to you," he replied, still in a good mood. "If fact, you were the one who was avoiding me."

She laughed dryly. "I'm glad you've noticed. I thought you were dense."

Jadeite pursed his lips together.

"Now," the miko continued, "if I ever hear the word Mars from you again... I swear I'm going to--"

"Hey, hey," he cut her off. "If you have just accepted my proposal, there's no reason for you to be paranoid."

She stared at him. "Are you really that desperate?" she then asked incredulously. "You're resorting to black mail just to have a girlfriend?"

Shrugging his shoulders, he just smiled. "What can I say? You're too damn beautiful." And then he winked at her.

Rei rolled her eyes and groaned in frustration. "I can't believe this," she muttered under her breath

"Look, do yourself a favor and just accept the deal, okay? It's actually for your own good."

She choked out a mortified laugh. "My own good?" she repeated.

"Yeah," he agreed, glad that her voice was back to the normal pitch. Frankly, Rei's shoutings were really making his head ache. "It would be to your advantage. Just think about it. Your secret's safe with me... No more jerks from Moto Azabu would pester you... And you even got yourself a handsome bodyguard at your very own disposal. What more could you ask for?"

Rei looked sharply at him. "I don't need a bodyguard. I can perfectly take care of myself, thank you," she said sarcastically. "And how did you know about those guys from Moto Azabu, anyway?"

Jadeite grinned widely and confidently, pushing some blond hair off his eyes. "I've got my sources."

"Right..."

"So, what do you say?

"What about the disadvantages?" she asked instead. To tell herself the truth, she couldn't find any, except the whole notion of having a boyfriend was a disadvantage itself, and whether she likes to admit it or not, Jadeite's idea was becoming more appealing. Besides, she's getting tired of arguing with him and thinking about this whole thing through and through. Besides, she didn't have any other choice. She might as well accept the deal just to shut him up.

_Do what you think is right and everything will just fall into place._

Setsuna's words earlier echoed to her ears. 'I just hope that doing _this_ is the right thing,' she told herself. 'Grrr, the things I do for Usagi-chan!'

"Well," Jadeite drawled out. "I couldn't think of anything except that lots of girls would envy and hate you more."

Rei shot him with a disgusted look. "And I could say the same to you, too."

The blond guy chuckled. "A little bit conceited, aren't we?"

"You started it."

"Come on, Rei-chan," he said in a very sweet voice. "You might like the idea of it. Who knows, you might even fall in love with me."

"Hah, dream on buddy!"

Rei frowned, noticing his overbright smile. The guy must have realized that victory was just one step away. Rei carefully weighed her options once more. Even if her pride wouldn't accept it, she couldn't do anything aside from saying yes. What other choice does she have? If she said no, Jadeite would pester her until the end of her days, plus there was the big chance of the world knowing the whole senshi's secrets.

Jadeite gazed expectantly at her, waiting patiently for her answer.

Sighing with resignation, she finally said, "Before I agree to anything, I have conditions of my own. And if you disagree with them, you'll be having a hard time convincing me to accept this stupid deal."

"Fine," he answered with a simple shrug. "Shoot."

"First and foremost, definitely no kissing and no unnecessary touching."

He chuckled. "Sure. Unless you want me to."

Rei glared at him and chose to ignore his unwanted remark. "Second, no other girls aside from me. No flings, no whatsoever. I don't want to look stupid."

"Hmm, demanding. I like that."

"Shut up, I'm not finished yet."

"And third, this is just for convenience. There is really nothing going on between us, do you understand? I don't like you and I don't think I ever will. You wanted this thing so badly, so there you go. If you don't agree to the following terms then this discussion is over."

Jadeite winced, but let out a small laugh. "Okay, okay. I accept, I agree, whatever. So you'll finally say yes?"

"Not yet," she said. "For how long are you planning to go on with this charade?"

"How about a year?"

"Six months."

"Make that eleven."

"Seven."

"Ten."

"Eight and that's final."

The blond grinned widely. "Then eight it is."

Rei shook her head and raked her hand on her hair. "Alright, I give up," she said wearily. "Just don't bring this thing up anymore, okay?"

"Yes!!!" Jadeite almost jumped with glee. "You won't regret this, Rei-chan, I promise."

The miko massaged her temples as she watched him do his happy dance. "I think I'm going to be sick." To her surprise, he suddenly stopped and stared at her. "What?"

"I forgot to tell you something," he said. "I have another condition. You must go out with me whenever I asked you to. You can only refuse if your reason is acceptable."

"What?!" Rei exclaimed. "Why you sneaky--"

"You can't back out now," he said, wriggling his index finger at her. "You already gave me your word."

"I'm gonna get you for this..."

"Another thing... no name-calling. Moron, jerk... that's a big no-no. And don't call me Senpai either. I sense sarcasm everything you speak that term. Just Jadeite."

Rei folded her arms across her chest moodily. "Are you finished now?"

"Yeah," he replied, smiling sweetly at her. He then held out his hand. "How 'bout a handshake to seal everything?"

Reluctantly, she took his hand and shook it, unaware of another set of eyes staring bemusedly at them.

"Uhm... guys? What are you doing there in front of the bathroom door?" Ami asked, mystified.

Smiling, Jadeite turned to the blue-haired girl, still gripping Rei's hand. "Hey Ami-chan. I want you to meet Rei, my new girlfriend."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Hi guys, I'm back after hibernating for half a year. I know it's been too long, that's why I made this chapter longer than the usual. I hope you like it. To Ocianne, thank you very much for your generous offer but my friend already did the job for me and I don't think it would be fair to you because I don't update my fic regularly. I thank you nonetheless for your kindness. That was very nice of you. 

And to Persona the ITG, PyroChic, JoCrox, Kaze, Patch18, monkeychow, Merry Faerie, Venus the Oracle, meljoy, Shizuka Kaze, and Jadeite's Flame: thanks for the patience and the wonderful reviews. You guys served as my inspiration to finish this chapter.

Enough with the ramblings, I hope you enjoyed reading. Please don't forget to leave some reviews. Arigatou!

Till next time!


	10. The morning after

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi 

**_Chapter Ten: The Morning After_**

Smiling triumphantly to herself, Usagi wiggled her golden brows at the brunette's direction and held out her hand. "Well Mako-chan, it seems that you owe me two chocolate parfaits." 

"What parfait?" Minako interjected, glancing at the two. 

"No, I don't," Makoto retorted at the odango blonde. "It's too early to tell. Besides, there's no way on Earth that Rei could possibly--" 

"But Ami-chan said she saw them holding hands in front of the bathroom. And senpai even said that Rei-chan is her new girlfriend!" 

The brunette chuckled. "She was just hallucinating," she then said, swallowing a spoonful of choco puffs. The girls decided to spend the night at her apartment after helping her and Usagi clean up the party mess. Taking a sip at her glass of milk, she turned at the other blonde who seemed not to be enjoying her food. "Are you okay?" 

"My head was aching because of you two," Minako said, digging her spoon to the bowl of cereal in front of her. "What the heck are you talking about? And what's with parfait and Rei-chan?" 

"Mako-chan and I have a bet going on. Whoever wins will get two chocolate parfaits," Usagi provided helpfully. 

"And what does it have to do with Rei-chan?" the longhaired blonde asked, still perplexed. 

"Didn't you hear what Usagi-chan said?" Makoto interrupted casually. "If Rei-chan and Senpai become sweethearts, she wins. Apparently, it looks like I lost because Ami-chan told her this ground-breaking news but I still don't believe it since our miko hasn't confirmed it yet." 

Minako dropped her spoon and gaped at the two. "No kidding! How come you didn't tell me about it? And how come you didn't let me join the bet?" 

"Uhm, because you were busy singing your lungs out? And about the bet deary, it was just a 'spur of the moment' thing, plus you weren't there when we made it." Makoto answered playfully. "As for last night, I didn't know about it, too. Usagi-chan just told me this morning. And since Rei-chan and Ami-chan are still asleep, no confirmations nor denials so far." 

The longhaired blonde looked pensively at her breakfast. Part of her was happy for her temperamental friend but the other part was actually worried. It isn't like Rei to force herself on something, or _someone_ she didn't like. 

"What? Don't tell me you have something against them?" the brunette asked, noticing the blonde's face. "You and Usagi-chan were the ones bent on pairing us with those guys." 

"It's not like that," Minako said, her brows furrowed. "I swear I have nothing against them being together. But, if it's true, don't you find it odd that Rei-chan became Senpai's girlfriend all of a sudden? She doesn't even like him --or at least she pretends that she doesn't like him... It wasn't like her to change her mind so easily. This is Rei-chan we're talking about after all." 

Makoto tilted her head, thinking. "I think it's kinda odd, now that you mentioned it..." 

"What I find odd is that those two early-risers are still sleeping," Usagi suddenly said, taking a huge bite at her toast. 

A moment of silence passed between them as they stared at each other. 

Makoto let out a gusty sigh as she laid back on her chair. "Life is full of oddities today, don't you think?" 

"Yeah," Minako agreed and drank the contents of her glass. 

"Morning, guys," a groggy Ami suddenly said as she made her way towards the fridge. 

"Morning," the three responded in unison as they watched the petite girl rummage through the fridge, her hair still slightly rumpled from sleep. 

"My, aren't we a bit late today," Minako commented lightly. "Didn't have enough sleep?" 

Covering her mouth to stifle a yawn, Ami rubbed her bleary eyes and turned at the blonde. "You have no idea. Rei-chan made me swear up and down not to tell you guys what I saw last night--" 

The sound of metal hitting the floor resonated throughout the kitchen as the other three occupants of the room gaped at her, their mouths hanging wide open. 

Realizing her mistake, Ami immediately snapped out of her sleepy stupor and covered her face. "Oh crap," she mumbled under her breath, thunking her head on the fridge's door. Lack of sleep really caused her brain to function improperly. She glanced back at her friends who seemed to lose the ability to speak. "Uhm... Could I take that back?" 

Suddenly, Usagi burst out with fits of giggles, jumped out of her seat and began dancing. "Wohooo! I won! I won!" 

Ami stared at the odango, baffled by her sudden weird behavior, and then searched the two for some explanation. "W-what's going on?" 

"Don't mind her," Makoto said, recovering from her trance. "She was just suffering from post-birthday syndrome. Now, please take a seat and start talking." 

Minako nodded her head exuberantly. "Yeah, spill the peanuts! 

The brunette shook her head hopelessly. "Mina-chan, it's 'spill the beans,' not peanuts." The longhaired blonde just smiled widely. Then, Makoto turned at the blue-haired girl across her. "So, it's true then?" 

"I don't know," Ami truthfully said. "I fled before Rei-chan had the chance to explain. Maybe Senpai was just making fun of her. But Rei-chan made me swear not to tell before we went to sleep... Plus she woke me up every thirty minutes so I could repeat my promise. I really think she got something big on her mind." 

"Ooh, that's so cruel," Makoto muttered with a shudder. 

"I guess we should wait for her to tell us about it," the petite girl said. "I have a fair guess that she wouldn't tell us anything even if we plague her with questions." 

"Why not?" questioned Usagi, pouting. "We're her friends." 

"Ami-chan's right," Minako agreed. "It's definitely one topic that Rei-chan doesn't want to discuss. Although my curiosity is killing me, I don't want to look pushy and I don't want to piss her off either." 

The brunette grinned. Turning her head, a very sleepy Rei caught her eyes. "Ohayou, Rei-chan! Had a good night's sleep?" 

The remaining three chuckled at the slight sarcasm on Makoto's voice. 

The miko frowned. "Ugh! You have no idea. Odango here was snoring so loudly you could practically hear her from the moon!" She rubbed her eyes and then gazed slyly at her friends. "You weren't talking about me, were you? Because I think I heard you mention my name at least seven times." 

Minako whistled. "Wow, pretty accurate." 

Rei rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I found this under your couch last night," she said, handling a thick brown leather wallet to Makoto. 

Bemusedly, the brunette took the thing and stared at it. "It must be Mamoru-san's," she said dismissively, not even bothering to open it. She tossed it to Usagi. "Here Usagi-chan. Better keep it or else, your boyfriend wouldn't be able to take you out to dinner." 

Usagi grinned widely and began inspecting the thing on her hand, glad that she had the chance to look over one of Mamoru's personal belongings. The rest of the senshi went on about their business of eating breakfast when suddenly, they were shocked by their odango princess's loud scream. Rei literally jumped out from the sound, Ami almost burned her hand with the tea the she was pouring, and Makoto hit her head on the table after retrieving the fallen spoon on the floor. 

Wiping the spilled milk on the front of her shirt, Minako glared at the odango blonde. "What is it this time?" 

Tears started to well up on Usagi's eyes as she looked accusingly at the brunette who was wincing in pain and still busy from rubbing his sore head. "How could you do this to me...?" 

Makoto looked baffled. "What?" 

Usagi didn't say anything. Instead, she flipped the wallet open and showed it to the rest of her friends. Makoto's jaw almost fell when she saw what the blonde was upset about. 

"You've got to be kidding me..." Minako muttered unbelievably. 

Rei snatched the wallet from Usagi and take a good look herself. "This is Mako-chan alright." 

"Why would Mamoru-san keep my picture?" the brunette asked incredulously after a moment of silence. "Shouldn't he be keeping Usagi-chan's instead?" 

"That's what I'd like to know..." Usagi grumbled, enraged. 

Suddenly, Rei hit the odango blonde on the head with the wallet after extracting some sort of ID from its insides. "Baka! This doesn't belong to Mamoru-san. Why don't you take a look at this before you start flinging accusations, hmmm?" With that, she tossed the thin plastic card on the table and it spun briefly before stopping of them. 

The four senshi congregated around the table and found themselves staring at none other than Nephrite's driver's license.

* * *

"Come on, _Aniki_! Afraid to lose?" 

Nephrite crossed his arms on his chest as he watched his younger brother dribble the basketball between his legs, taunting and daring him to steal the ball away. He grinned smugly. "To you? Fat chance." He then turned his back and walked calmly, sitting on the stone stairs near their back door. Wiping the sweat off his face, he then picked the plastic bottle of water beside him, flipped the cap, and took a drink. They have been shooting hoops for about an hour and with summer just around the corner, the morning temperature started to get awful. 

He saw Jadeite stopped dribbling and cradled the ball with his right hand. The blond was unusually ecstatic this morning. Then again, Jadeite was always happy and on a sugar-high even without special occasions. If the blond were Peter Pan, Nephrite was sure Jadeite's feet wouldn't touch the ground. His brain was overflowing with 'happy thoughts.' However, this morning was different and he has a fair guess why. 

"So, Hino-san is finally your girl," he said as-a-matter-of-factly, staring at his approaching brother. "That's good. Take good care of her." 

His statement caught the young man off guard. Nephrite chuckled to himself. 

"How did you know about Rei?" Jadeite asked, now standing three feet away from him. 

Snorting, he said, "It's practically written all over your face. Congratulations, anyway." 

The blonde grinned. "Gee, thanks," he replied. 

"Based from her actions, I never thought you would succeed." 

Jadeite's grin widened. "It pays to know something that they were afraid to tell." 

Amused, Nephrite cocked an eyebrow. "You blackmailed her?" 

"Well... You could say that." 

The brunet laughed. "You're pathetic." 

"Who's pathetic?" Jadeite glared at him. "You're pathetic. At least I did something to win her over. Not like you. I saw the way you looked at Mako-chan. You like her, don't you?" 

Stifling his laughter, Nephrite gave him an amused gaze. "And what, my dear brother, made you say that?" 

"Your eyes were following her all around as if you were some kind of a stalker!" 

He inclined his head. _Did I really do that?_ He wasn't even aware that he was doing it. Running a hand on his ruffled mane of hair, he smirked at his brother. "I thought you were busy ogling your _o-hime-sama_? I didn't know you had the time to look the other way." He then stood up, snatched the ball from the occupied blond and drove towards the basket, executing a perfect lay-up. 

Frowning, Jadeite crossed his arms on his chest. "Cheater," he huffed. 

Nephrite chuckled. "Come on, Jadeite-_chan_. Afraid to lose?" 

The brunet saw the corner of his brother's lips curled into a smile and lunged towards him. With that, another round of basketball between the two brothers begun...

* * *

"This is sooo weird..." 

Makoto glanced at the longhaired blonde and frowned. "That was the understatement of the year, Mina-chan." 

"First, Rei-chan and Senpai suddenly became an item and then we found this!" Minako exclaimed, waving the brown leather wallet in the air. 

Rei almost spat the water across the room but held on to her serious demeanor. She glanced at Ami's direction but the blue-haired senshi averted her gaze the moment their eyes met, idly sipping her tea. 

"What's so weird about that?" Usagi asked with naivety. "Nephrite-san likes Mako-chan that's why he's keeping a picture of her in his wallet." 

Rei cleared her throat loudly to get everybody's attention, relieved that her friends were not in the "detectives from hell" mode. "That guy is a stalker. Stay away from him, Mako-chan. Who knows what he might do to you." 

The brunette cringed at the word stalker. 

"I don't think he's that kind of person," interjected Ami in a voice full of reason. "From the way he spoke and carried himself, I think he's a decent man." 

The miko raised brow, crossing her arms on her chest. "Oh c'mon, Ami-chan. It's like in the movies! They disguise themselves as someone who's decent and educated and then they kidnap their victims and then sacrifice them into a boiling pit of lava." 

"Like Hannibal Lecter, right?" Minako asked vibrantly. "He's a genius but then he asked his victims to eat their own faces and bodies! Yuck! That's so gross!" 

The petite girl sighed and shook his head, slowly massaging her temples. On the other hand, the brunette shuddered as she imagined herself being sacrificed by a handsome auburn-haired man to a group of hungry flesh-eating monsters. 

"Anyway," Ami continued, "a picture in a wallet doesn't prove anything, except of course the fact that he likes Mako-chan... Just like what Usagi-chan said." 

Rei grunted. "I can't believe you're defending him like that, Ami-chan. Have you forgotten he was a Shitennou?" 

"Look who's talking!" Usagi said with a loud snort. "Weren't you the one who has a Shitennou boyfriend?" 

"How did you..." Rei suddenly caught herself in short for words. Giving Ami a withering glance, she saw the petite girl meekly motioned the word 'sorry' with her mouth. She sighed hopelessly. "I was saving our butts!" she then exclaimed defensively. 

Usagi clapped happily. "So it's true." 

Ignoring the odango blonde, Makoto gave Rei a sharp glance. "And what is that supposed to mean?" 

Recovering from her sudden outburst, the miko slowly averted her gaze. "Nothing. I did that just to shut him up. He was very annoying." 

"Ami-chan," Minako called a little seriously afterwards. "I thought you didn't trust them yet, what made you change your mind?" 

"Well I... I have reasons of my own and Mamoru-san trusts them and I don't think he would bring them here just to let them hurt us," she replied. "He also told me, they were his royal guards, when he was Prince Endymion." 

"Yes," the longhaired blonde agreed. "From my 'princess memory,' I remember I saw Kunzite-san with him." 

Ami smiled. "I think they were resurrected to have a second shot with life. I just realized that if that's the case, it's kind of sad if we don't give them a second chance. Wouldn't you agree?" 

Usagi let out a sigh of contentment, smiling mysteriously. 

Makoto nodded slowly, scratching her chin. "Now that you mentioned it, yeah. It does seem sad. But... weren't they've been resurrected before and yet, they still sided with the Dark Kingdom?" 

"It's not like that, Mako-chan," Usagi replied less flippantly. "Beryl got to them first before we did." 

The brunette didn't seem to believe her. 

"Hey guys, don't you think it's kind of late to discuss that matter now?" Minako asked, raising a golden brow. "Come on, we have practically _forgiven_ them the day we accepted them and became their friends. Besides, there's nothing to forgive in the first place. Mamoru-san was the one they had betrayed, not us." 

The other blonde shifted on her seat uncomfortably and decided to nibble on her toast. 

"But they tried to kill us," Rei pointed out. 

"And that's the reason why they were resurrected... to make amends, to correct everything," Ami explained. "I think that's a very logical justification." 

"Right!" Minako agreed. "You know, I think it's kind of amazing how they blended with us so easily. It is as if we have known each other all along. It may be possible that we were friends with them during that time in the moon, right? It's a natural occurrence since we were Serenity-hime's guardians, and they, Endymion's." 

Usagi choked out on her food when she heard the word 'friends.' Makoto gave her a worried glance. 

"Are you alright?" the brunette asked. 

After drinking some water to alleviate the burning sensation in her throat, she smiled nervously. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry 'bout that 'finger-pointing' thingy earlier. I wasn't thinking." 

Makoto let out a kind smile and shook her head. "Don't worry about it." 

"Uhm guys?" Ami said, calling out their attention. "I think there is something else you should know." 

The brunette snorted. "Don't tell us Zoi-kun and you were an item, too?" 

The four went silent as Makoto's jest hung in the air. Ami just stood there, staring at the brunette. Minako, mistaking the blue-haired girl's silence for a yes, widely grinned, her blue eyes twinkling with excitement. 

"No! Of course not!" the petite girl replied vehemently. "That's way too unthinkable. He doesn't even like me!" 

Usagi raised a brow. "And how did you know that?" 

"Because I knew." 

Rei clucked her tongue disapprovingly, glaring at the blonde. "I can't understand why are you encouraging Ami-chan to like him, and Mako-chan to reciprocate Nephrite's -- if there were indeed -- feelings for her, and why are you tolerating Minako-chan to date the eldest Shitennou! And why, oh why, were you seemed happy now that Jadeite-that-evil-scumbag is now my wretched boyfriend!" 

"Hey, I didn't say anything about Mako-chan and Nephrite-san!" 

"But you were insinuating it!" 

"For the record, Rei-chan," Minako said, interrupting Rei and Usagi's tongue-lashing. "I'm not dating Kunzite-san." 

Makoto let out a derisive laugh. "Yeah, you weren't dating him alright, and my hair is a natural blonde," she said with sarcasm. "We saw you." 

The longhaired blonde just stuck out her tongue. "It was just a friendly date." 

"So you've finally admitted it that Senpai is your boyfriend," Usagi said, grinning slyly at the miko. 

"This isn't about me," Rei shot back indignantly. "You knew something, I can sense it. Setsuna-san told me that it was _them_ who brought them back and we all know that they wouldn't do anything without _your_ blessing. She also told me that if I want to know something, I should ask Mamoru-san, _your_ boyfriend. Funny how it all points out to one person... you." 

Makoto scratched her head, glancing at their princess. "Is this true?" 

Usagi just shrugged her shoulders and refused to give any direct answer. To her relief, Makoto's telephone suddenly rang and she had gladly volunteered to answer it before the brunette or the miko could make any protest. Makoto just shook her head and glanced at the annoyed Rei. 

"You've talked to her?" Ami asked the miko with disbelief. "I've been wanting to clarify some... uh, _issues_ with her but she's always busy. It seemed that she was avoiding me." 

"Yeah," she replied. "She went to Hikawa Jinja yesterday to bring the outers' gift for Usagi." 

"Call me paranoid or too assuming but, I don't know with you guys, I have this feeling that each of us was being paired off with a particular shitennou," the brunette then said. "Serenity's senshi and Endymion's shitennou... don't you think it's kind of fitting?" 

"I had that in mind, too," the petite girl added. 

"Maybe Usagi-chan will have a second daughter and she's going to need her own set of guardians that's why the shitennou were brought back to be our husbands so we can uh... produce four new inner senshi?"" 

Ami, Makoto, and Rei looked horrified at Minako's logic. The idea was very, very disturbing. 

"That was sick," Rei choked out. 

The blonde remained positive. "It's a possibility." 

"Come on, Mina-chan," Makoto said. "Couldn't you think of anything else that wouldn't romantically link them to us?" 

She grinned. "Sorry, can't help it. They were our dream-guys-turned-to-flesh!" 

"Well not in my case!" Rei retorted. 

Minako gave her three friends a knowing glance. "You're hypocrites if you would tell me you didn't at least find them attractive." They bristled at her comment. And then she turned to Rei, "I saw the way you study Jadeite-senpai when you thought nobody was looking." 

The miko was stunned. 

"You, Ami-chan," at this, she then turned at the startled girl. "I've noticed the way you give Zoi-kun that long second glances whenever he's passing by." 

"Second glances? I most certainly did not!" came the indignant reply but that tell-tale blush was slowly creeping on her cheeks. 

"And you, Mako-chan--" 

Before Minako could say another word, Makoto shushed her and said, "I know what you're going to say that's why I'm sparing myself some little dignity. I stared, gawked, watched him to my heart's desire and thought that Motoki Onii-chan was nothing compared to him." 

The blonde was amazed. "Wow, I'm impressed. Such courage!" 

"However, I don't like him because he's too perfect! And creepy!" 

Minako grinned widely. She was really enjoying this. It wasn't everyday she got to pin down her friends and hear their confessions. Well, sort of. Rei's rare silence and Ami's patented blush were admission itself while Makoto 'spoke' for herself. In one way or another, she was sure that her friends have some sort of feelings for those guys. They just didn't know it yet. 

She sighed, noticing the dubious looks being shot at her direction. "Don't think that I'm not with you guys. I want to know the truth as much as you do. Unlike you, I'm taking this in a positive way. If Usagi-chan indeed was partly responsible for bringing them back to life, do you think she would let something bad to happen to us? I don't think so." 

The three threw glances at each other

* * *

Nephrite wiped the sweat off his brow and chuckled at his younger brother who was slumped beside him, catching his breath. "I told you, you could not beat me, not in a million years." 

Jadeite shot him a dirty look and huffed. "I was just being soft on you. You know, there was this saying: You have to respect _old_ people." The blond let out a throaty chuckle. 

"Baka!" he shot back, hitting his brother on the head. "I'm not THAT old, you doofus." 

The blond was still laughing even though he was rubbing the sore spot on his head. "Anyway," he then said. "I never knew you were friends with Usagi-chan's boyfriend. And how did you meet them, especially Mako-chan? You were not spying on us, were you?" 

"Why would I do that?" he asked in return. He shook his head. "Mamoru-kun was my classmate. He introduced me to the girls one day when I gave him a ride to the place where they were going to meet. And as for Mako-chan, our first meeting was kind of..." 

Jadeite edged closer to him. "Kind of?" 

"Special." 

The younger shitennou tilted his head. "Special? Why?" 

Nephrite chuckled. "Would you believe that she slept on me, I mean, on my shoulder even though she still didn't know me? The people probably thought she was my girlfriend." 

The blond shuddered at the uncharacteristically goofy expression on his brother's face. Zoisite was right. Love makes smart people dumb. And it makes them look stupid, too. "Ugh, you should stop looking that way. It was horrible." The brunet glared at him. 

"If you really like her, why don't just ask her out?" Jadeite continued. "Makoto is a sweet and kind person, she wouldn't say no." Then, he studied his brother's form. "Especially to you." 

Nephrite laughed with mild sarcasm. "Hey, Mr. Love Guru is teaching me some strategies. What should I do, oh Great One?" 

The blond frowned, annoyed. He threw his hands up in the air and sighed with resignation. 

"Don't worry, Jadeite-_chan_, I have strategies of my own." He grinned at the expression on the boy's face. If there's one thing that Jadeite hated the most, it was attaching feminine and childish suffixes to his name. 

"There you are!" 

The two turned at the direction of the voice and saw Zoisite walking towards them with Mamoru trailing behind him. Nephrite smiled at them and waved, slowly getting up. "Hey there," he greeted as he approached them. 

"Ohayou," Mamoru replied, smiling. "Are you busy?" 

He shook his head. "No, we were just playing basketball. So, what can I do for you?" 

"I want to talk to you about... _something_," he said. "I think you're in trouble." 

"Oh." Nephrite nodded meaningfully. "Of course. Let's sit over there." He then pointed at the wooden bench underneath a big cherry tree. 

Mamoru excused himself and nodded his thanks at the youngest shitennou, patting him in the shoulder, before following Nephrite towards the bench. Zoisite smiled back as he watched the dark-haired man's retreating form. 

"You know what, Zoisite," Jadeite said, suddenly popping beside him. "This may sound weird but I think I've known Mamoru-san for a long time. He looked kind of familiar to me, like I've seen him somewhere." 

"Funny, I feel the same way, too," he replied, glancing at his brother. "I thought I was the only one. When I saw him last night at Usagi-chan's party, it felt like I want to shout and laugh because I finally met him." 

"This is really weird," he muttered. He then glanced at the two who seemed to be discussing something very important. "I wonder what they are talking about. Do you have any idea what on earth are they babbling about?" 

Zoisite shrugged his shoulder. "I don't know. Beats me."

* * *

"Darn it, Mina-chan. I hate it when you made sense!" Makoto said, her lips twisting into a smile. 

The blonde grinned proudly. "Why do you think I became the leader of the inner senshi?" 

Rei rolled her eyes. "Point taken. You don't have to brag." 

"What I'm just trying to say is that we should trust Usagi-chan," Minako added. "She wouldn't do anything disastrous, would she?" 

The brunette sighed. "You know, we should drop the subject. I always trust Usagi and Minako-chan is right. Our princess wouldn't bring them back only to let them kill us in the end. And frankly, this topic is getting on my nerves! My only concern now is this!" She picked the wallet up and frantically waved it to the air. "Why is he keeping me in his wallet?" 

"Because he likes you," Ami replied, rubbing her eyes wearily. "Oh God, I'm so sleepy... Just let me sleep..." 

Minako turned to Rei, ignoring the blue-haired girl who dropped her head unceremoniously on the table and started to doze off. "What about you Rei-chan?" 

"Fine... as long as Odango wouldn't ask about me and Jadeite." 

The blonde nodded thoughtfully. "Alright. I know the two of you would give each of your own explanations when you're ready. For now, let us give ourselves a temporary restraining order." 

"A what?" Makoto asked, scratching her head. 

Shortly, Usagi returned to the kitchen, a wide grin plastered on her face. She looked at her friends for a moment and then clapped her hands happily. "Good, you've settled down already--" 

Rei huffed, rolling her eyes. "Settle down my foot," she muttered sarcastically. "You owe us an explanation." 

"Rei-chan..." Minako gave her a reprimanding look. "We have talked about this, haven't we?" 

"Whatever." 

"Who was that?" Makoto asked, eyeing Usagi suspiciously. 

"Mamo-chan, he was just confirming our dinner tonight," she replied with a wide smile. She then turned at the blue-haired senshi. "Ami was going to tell us something, wasn't she?" 

Hearing her name, Ami slowly lifted her head and blinked. "Oh... uh, it was nothing. It wasn't that important, considering what we had discovered today..." She glanced at them and almost doubled over with fear. The senshi were practically threatening her with their evil eyes. "Alright... Mina-chan asked me earlier what made me change my mind about trusting the shitennou... well, I've discovered something about them." She turned to Minako. "Do you remember the deal we had when we found out that they were brought back to life?" 

The blonde nodded. "Yeah, it's been what, almost two months? I was kind of wondering why you haven't given me your analysis yet. I thought you were just busy." 

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I'm done with it, actually. Maybe, putting it off was just my way of let's say, disagreeing with something inconceivable. Plus, scanning the two older shitennou was hard since we didn't get to see them everyday." 

"So, how did you do it?" Usagi asked. 

"Zoisite-kun used to talk about his _brothers_ a lot so I asked him about the books they like and if I could _borrow_ them..." 

Minako gave her a teasing look. "I didn't know you were in 'speaking terms' with him. You hardly talk to each other when we're around." 

Ami blushed. "Well, he's rather talkative when we're at the Computer club," she said. "Anyway, he brought Kunzite's copy of The Little Prince--" 

"Hey, I have read that!" Minako exclaimed cheerfully. "We took that up in our English Class in sixth grade... though I couldn't understand a single word in it back then since it was after all, written in English. My favorite quote came from that book. It says, 'It is through the eyes that one can see rightly; what is naked is essential to the invisible man!'" 

Makoto choked out a mortified laugh while Usagi couldn't hide a snicker. 

"I'm really impressed Mina-chan," Rei said with a raised brow. "You made it sound like a pervert's guide book or something." 

Ami shook her head hopelessly. "It is with the heart that one can see rightly; what is invisible is essential to the naked eye," she corrected. She then continued, "Kunzite's, and, fortunately, Nephrite's fingerprints were there. After some tests, the computer finally came up with a conclusion. It was negative." 

"Meaning?" the longhaired blonde asked. 

"They are as normal as the rest of Tokyo's population," she finished. "It's like their whole DNA code were rewritten." 

"Normal means no powers, right?" Makoto asked. 

Ami nodded. 

"Everything is clear to me now," Minako said with full conviction. "They're meant to be here." 

Rei groaned and threw her hands up to the air. "Come on! Spare us with this whole 'fate' theory." She then glanced at her watch and frowned. "I can't believe it's ten already! I promised Ojii-san that I would go home at 8:30." 

Usagi snorted. "It wasn't our fault you overslept." 

Minako clapped her hands enthusiastically. "Come on, people. We had bothered Mako-chan so much. Let's clean up already and leave her in peace. I have a fair guess that _someone_ would be coming over. Let us give her enough time to make herself more beautiful." 

The brunette rolled her eyes and said nothing.

* * *

Absently chewing the eraser in her pencil, Makoto kept on murmuring to herself and then scribbling equations on a piece of paper. Ever since she was still in Kindergarten, she hated Math. She didn't know back then that 'one apple plus one apple equals two apples' was already a mathematical equation. She just thought that their teacher was teaching them the fundamentals of making fruit salad. Counting and adding apples (and other fruits for that matter) were really a bore for Kino Makoto's young and, not to mention, impatient mind. 

She suddenly stopped scribbling and groaned in frustration. No matter how hard she tried, she would never, ever get to solve this blasted problem without Ami's help. "She sure did make it sound easy," she grumbled moodily. "_You can do this Mako-chan! All you have to do is substitute this number to the value of x and then--_ Graah! I can't even remember which number to substitute!" 

Then, she heard a cracking sound. 

Makoto sighed and stared at the broken pencil in her hand. "Great. Three pencils in just an hour." She pushed her notes away and rested her head on the coffee table. For the life of her, she couldn't understand why everything revolves around Mathematics. Why, could the fundamental theorem of calculus solve the growing rate of unemployment in the country today? Would it be best for you to know the sum and difference of two cubes before you go on a date? Or are the Laws of Exponents good for your skin? 

Their passion, or lack thereof, with math is one of the few things that she and her friends (except Ami, of course) have in common. When they were studying for the high school entrance exams, Usagi would complain about the relevance of Mathematics, accompanied by Minako's accordance (in an equally whiny voice). Rei would, naturally, sympathize with the two blondes. But, being the "cool" person that she was, she wouldn't admit that she was also 'number-intolerant' and was attending the study group (even though she didn't have to since her school didn't have entrance exams) for the same reason that they had-- mathematical inaptitude. Makoto, as if on cue, would then announce that it was time for dinner (or lunch, or whatever the case may be) and the study session would be untimely stopped. Needless to say, Ami would be pissed but she was such a sweet person to hold a grudge for a long time. 

Speaking of dinner, she glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already thirty minutes past six. Makoto got up and was about to head for the kitchen when Nephrite's wallet caught her gaze. It was sitting on top of the shelf, surrounded by pictures of her parents and friends. Minako put it there so that she could see it easily just in case its owner happened to drop by. 

Tilting her head, she made her way towards the shelf and picked the wallet up. It wasn't in her character to snoop around other people's belongings but there was this unmistakable pull, beckoning her to take a look and explore its insides. It wasn't like she's going to steal the money or anything. She's just going to take a look. That's all. 

Flipping it open, Makoto frowned when her own face stared back at her. It was really weird seeing yourself in other people's possessions especially if you do not have any idea how it got there. She studied the picture once more. It looked like it was taken last year and apparently, she wasn't aware of it. She was smiling prettily, her eyes twinkling, as if somebody had just told her a funny joke. 

Carefully, she pulled the photograph and turned it over. Her brows snapped at the date written on the back. She was right, it was taken last summer. She searched the wallet frantically, exploring every nook and cranny. 

A few bills, some receipts, identification cards, reminders, his driver's license, and a strange letter. Makoto unfolded the paper and scratched her head. She couldn't understand a word of it. It was written in a language she hasn't seen before. 

"What the heck is this?" she muttered. She returned the letter to its original position and then stared at the driver's license once again. Now she knew he's six feet one inch tall, his blood type is AB, and if ever he died in an accident, he would gladly donate his eyes and other internal organs. 

Makoto snickered. "How noble." 

There was, however, one information that she and her friends failed to notice earlier. And, it made the hair in the back of her neck rise and turned her blood cold. 

The driver's license was also issued _last year_. 

"I don't understand," she whispered, bewildered. "They were already here when we were still fighting Galaxia?" 

The door chime sounded and it made her jump out of her skin, hastily putting the card back inside. Her heart started beating frantically and, strangely enough, she found it hard to breathe, as if an invisible hand was gripping her windpipe. 

Slowly, just like in a suspense/thriller movie, she went to the door and took a peek at the small peep hole, bracing herself. Suddenly, she fought the urge to run and hide because for the first time in her life, Kino Makoto, the strong senshi of thunder and lightning, was actually afraid of someone... 

And that someone was none other than an insanely gorgeous and handsome young man standing at her doorstep and carrying a bouquet of flowers. Her mind suddenly reeled with all the information she have discovered as Minako's words earlier echoed in her ears. 

_They were meant to be here..._

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**Author's notes:** Can't find anything to say so I guess I'll just thank you guys for still putting up with me despite of my long absences. Muchos gracias to Amethyst Serenity, Nezumi-chan, mako-chan fan, Ocianne, Patch18, Moonlightshadows (if you still want my fic in your site, sure, I'd be honored :D thanks!), meljoy, amy, thebodyfarm, shannon19, am1289, Angry Girl, and Merry Faerie for the awesome reviews. 

Hopefully, chapter 11 will be out sooner. I would really try my best to update fast. Promise. 

Don't worry guys, the secrets of the four shitennou will be revealed in a little while. 

Btw, _aniki_ means brother. 

Till next time! 

Don't forget to leave your review! c",) 


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